The Power of Seven
by I am Sky daughter of Zeus
Summary: Six moons after the Last Hope, two mysterious kits appear, but who is the mother? Dovewing is struggling to stay loyal to her new mate, but it's harder than it seems. Jayfeather has recieved a prophecy, that no longer includes just the Three, but the Seven, and StarClan is weakening by the moment. Who are the Seven? Will StarClan disappear from every cat's memory-forever?
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**Mannn! I can only start fanfics and never finish them! Ugghh! But I really wanted to do this, so here it is! And this is only THUNDERCLAN allegiances, by the way. Set after the Last Hope. **

* * *

**Allegiances**

**ThunderClan**

**Leader:**** Bramblestar- **dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Deputy:**** Graystripe- **long haired gray tom

**Medicine Cat****:**** Jayfeather- **mottled gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes

_**Apprentice- Seedpaw**_

**Warriors:**

**Sandstorm- **pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Dustpelt- **dark brown tabby tom

_**Apprentice- Dewpaw**_

**Brackenfur- **golden brown tabby tom

**Sorreltail- **tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes

_**Apprentice- Snowpaw**_

**Cloudtail- **long haired white tom with blue eyes

**Brightheart- **white she-cat with ginger patches

**Thornclaw- **golden brown tabby tom

**Leafpool- **light brown tabby she-cat, amber eyes, former medicine cat

**Spiderleg- **long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

**Birchfall- **light brown tabby tom

**Whitewing- **white she-cat with green eyes

**Berrynose- **cream-colored tom

**Hazeltail- **small gray-and-white she-cat

**Mousewhisker- **gray-and-white tom

**Cinderheart- **gray tabby she-cat

**Poppyfrost- **tortoiseshell she-cat

**Lionblaze- **golden tabby tom with amber eyes

_**Apprentice- Lilypaw**_

**Foxleap- **reddish-brown tabby tom

**Icecloud- **white she-cat

**Toadstep- **black and white tom

**Rosepetal- **dark cream she-cat

**Briarlight- **dark brown she-cat

**Bumblestripe- **very pale gray tom with black stripes

**Blossomfall- **tortoiseshell and white she-cat

**Dovewing- **pale gray she-cat with green eyes

**Ivypool- **silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

**Cherryfoot- **fluffy ginger she-cat with amber eyes

**Molewhisker- **large cream-and-brown tom with amber eyes

**Millie- **striped gray tabby she-cat

**Apprentices:**

**Lilypaw- **dark tabby she-cat with white patches

**Seedpaw- **very pale ginger she-cat

**Snowpaw- **white tom with amber eyes

**Dewpaw- **gray tom with amber eyes

**Queens:**

**Squirrelflight- **dark ginger she-cat with one white paw

**Daisy- **cream long-furred she-cat from horseplace

**Elders:**

**Purdy- **plump tabby former loner with a gray muzzle

* * *

_A blue she-cat padded _up to two more cats. One was dark gray with a broad, flat face and the other was a pretty white furred, green eyed she-cat.

"Do you realize what this means?" the gray she-cat demanded, cutting straight to the chase.

The blue she-cat nodded. "Yes. Somehow, StarClan is weakening. Just today I saw Hawkheart fade away." she added.

The gray she-cat rolled her eyes. "Bluestar, this isn't the time to gloat over old grudges. We need to know _why_ this is happening."

Bluestar twitched an ear. "I saw you, Yellowfang, gloating over Brokenstar, too." she widened her eyes and slapped her tail over her mouth as Yellowfang's eyes darkened.

"Never mind." Yellowfang murmured.

They both turned to the third she-cat.

"Half Moon." Bluestar mewed. "Are you sure about the prophecy? Not even Rock had seen it until it was too late."

Half Moon nodded. "Yes. _Seven of Thunder's blood will hold the power of the stars in their paws and will ensure destruction and peace to Air, Sky, Darkness and Water._" she reeled the words off her tongue, nothing but empty shells.

"Who will you give it to?" asked Bluestar.

Yellowfang shook her head. "No. You don't understand. The only three cats we know of for sure that are part of the Seven are Jayfeather, Lionblaze, Dovewing and Half Moon herself."

"_What?" _yelped Bluestar in shock.

Half Moon shyly nodded.

"Another from the Tribe of Rushing Water." muttered Bluestar, shaking her head.

"Rock was from the Tribe of Rushing Water." flashed back Yellowfang.

"But," Bluestar mewed, twitching another ear, "How can Half Moon be the subject of the prophecy?" she asked.

"The same way Jayfeather, Lionblaze and Dovewing were." answered Yellowfang. "Rebirth."

Bluestar turned to Half Moon. "Then are you ready?" she asked.

Half Moon nodded, the look in her eyes changing from anticipation to wistfulness.

"You want to see Jayfeather." guessed Yellowfang. "And you want to become mates, this second time."

"Well, you can't." said Bluestar, "It's against the warrior code, _and_ you have been sent back for the sole purpose of being one of the Seven."

"You were not squeaky clean yourself, Bluestar, Yellowfang." flashed back Half Moon. "Yellowfang, you became mates and had kits with Raggedstar, even if you were a medicine cat, and Bluestar, _you_ became mates with Oakheart, a RiverClan cat, and had kits." she flicked her tail to represent the Clans around the lake. "One of them is still leading RiverClan!"

Bluestar and Yellowfang glanced at each other.

"Okay, she got us." mewed Bluestar.

Yellowfang shook her head. Her gray pelt was beginning to fade, as well as Bluestar's.

"We need to hurry." mewed Yellowfang urgently. She eyed Half Moon seriously. "Half Moon, are you willing to be stripped of your old life, and rejoin the cats at the lake?"

"I do." was Half Moon's solemn reply.

"Then your place in StarClan is no more. You will leave StarClan immediately, and join the world of the living."

Immediately Half Moon started to fade.

"You will also be stripped of your memories to ensure your new life." called Yellowfang.

Half Moon showed no emotion. Instead she closed her eyes until she disappeared in a beautiful shower of twinkling stars, that descended to the lake, and reformed in the belly of a certain queen...

* * *

Jayfeather, as Jay's Wing, looked on at Half Moon. She was now the first Teller of the Pointed Stones, and she carefully healed Furled Bracken.

Half Moon looked up and purred at Jayfeather. "I'm sorry, Jay's Wing, I will come back."

_What does that mean?_

Then Jayfeather was plunged into darkness once again as he realized he was awake. He sniffed, and he could still smell the faint scent of the cat he once loved.

_Half Moon...come back!_ Jayfeather yearned in his mind.

Suddenly, he felt a shower of twinkling stars cover him as they flew past. He smelled Half Moon's scent and heard her voice.

_I am, my love. I am. _

* * *

**So, what do you think? I can't wait to do chappie two. Obviously, you've seen that there are a couple changes in ThunderClan...kukukuku...**

**REVIEW!**

**-Sky**


	2. Halfkit and Amberkit

**Why do I have one favorite and three follows but no reviews?! lol, just kidding. Because I felt like it, I'm doubly updating! By the way, when Jayfeather heard Half Moon, it was only one moon after the battle with the Dark Forest.**

**Disclaimer: I no own Warriors**

* * *

_A full moon floated in the _cloudless night sky as Dovewing sat contently beside Bumblestripe at the gathering.

Even though it had been six moons since the battle with the Dark Forest, Dovewing still expected to see Firestar every time she entered the leader's den at the hollow, and was startled when she saw Bramblestar.

Soon after the battle, Dovewing had become mates with Bumblestripe, and tried to put Tigerheart behind her, though this was no easy feat. Every time she stretched out her senses, she heard Tigerheart's gentle mew in ShadowClan territory.

Looking around, Dovewing realized that WindClan had still not arrived. She stretched out her senses, and heard WindClan just starting to pad across the lake.

Rolling her eyes, Dovewing instead concentrated on the gathering. Thornclaw and Mothwing were talking together beside the Great Oak, while Willowshine was greeting the new ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice, Seedpaw, but Jayfeather was simply lying there, fixing his blind blue eyes on the night sky.

On the Great Oak, Blackstar grumbled, "If WindClan is slow, we'd better start the gathering without them, or else we won't get any sleep tonight."

"I agree," mewed Bramblestar, and Dovewing heard that he was choosing his words carefully, "but we have never started a gathering without another Clan, have we?"

Blackstar snorted and twitched his whiskers irritably. "Well maybe this time we will."

Just on cue, WindClan burst into the clearing of the Great Oak. At the front, Ashfoot was leading and panting heavily.

"About time!" muttered Blackstar under his breath.

Ashfoot leaped on the Great Oak. "Let the gathering begin!" she called. The clearing was immediately plunged into silence.

"I will begin." continued Ashfoot. "We have grave news, that Onestar has lost his final life and has joined StarClan. I am now Ashstar, leader of WindClan!" she declared.

"Ashstar! Ashstar! Ashstar!" chanted the cats.

Ashstar waved her tail to silence the Clans. "The new deputy is Crowfeather."

"Crowfeather! Crowfeather! Crowfeather!" cheered the cats once more as the skinny gray tom sat among the other deputies. Dovewing noted that Leafpool was cheering especially loudly.

Ashstar dipped her head. "That is all WindClan has to report."

"Then I shall go." said Blackstar. "Dawnpelt has given us three new kits~Flamekit, Flowerkit and Pinekit. ShadowClan also have two new apprentices: Heavypaw and Marshpaw."

"Heavypaw! Marshpaw!"

Blackstar smugly flicked his tail to signal that ShadowClan was finished.

"ThunderClan is coping well. We have two new warriors: Cherryfoot and Molewhisker." before the cats could cheer though, Bramblestar added, "And we also have two new apprentices, Snowpaw and Dewpaw."

Dovewing closed her eyes in grief. There should've been _three_ names there~Snowpaw, Dewpaw and Amberpaw, but Amberkit had died during her first leaf-bare with a case of greencough. The little kit was forever lost to StarClan.

"Squirrelflight has stepped down from deputy position because she is expecting kits." mewed Bramblestar, "And Graystripe has replaced her."

"Graystripe!"

Dovewing noted that Graystripe looked especially frail and old~even more than Sandstorm or Dustpelt.

"RiverClan will continue." stated Mistystar as she stepped forward. Dovewing tuned out a report of how RiverClan had driven away some Twolegs, and stared in shock as she recognized a dark tabby pelt.

_Tigerheart!_

Dovewing shook her head. No, she didn't want Tigerheart anymore, she tried to tell herself, she had Bumblestripe.

Right on cue, Bumblestripe softly nudged Dovewing. "Come on," he mewed, "The gathering is at an end."

Bramblestar waved his tail to beckon the ThunderClan cats that followed~Graystripe, Jayfeather, Seedpaw, Lilypaw, Snowpaw, Dewpaw, Cherryfoot, Molewhisker, Sandstorm, Dustpelt, Lionblaze, Ivypool, Bumblestripe and herself.

As Dovewing leaped onto the trunk of the fallen tree, she silently wondered if she really wanted Bumblestripe in the first place.

* * *

Lionblaze dumped himself on his mossy nest. It felt so warm...so soft...

"Hey, Lionblaze!"

Lionblaze twitched one ear as he irritably shook himself.

"What?" he demanded, blinking sleep from his eyes. Then he recognized Cinderheart, then stammered, "U-uh, I mean, s-sorry, C-cinder~"

Cinderheart cut him off with a purr. "Don't worry, you mousebrain." she mewed affectionately. "I was just about to ask you if you've seen Thornclaw."

"I didn't see him return from the gathering." remembered Lionblaze with a start.

"Well, could you help us look? Brightheart is worried about him and Cloudtail is in a riot trying to please his mate."

Lionblaze stifled a snort of laughter.

"Sure, I'll help."

Two pelts, golden and gray, padded out the warriors den. Almost immediately Lionblaze went straight to the downy gray pelt that was against a pale one streaked with black stripes.

"Dovewing!" Lionblaze called.

Dovewing turned tail and looked at Lionblaze, fear flashing in her eyes.

"Dovewing?" Lionblaze's call now sounded more like a question.

Dovewing urgently pulled him aside and they squashed themselves behind the warriors' den.

"I remember this being bigger." muttered Dovewing.

Lionblaze stifled a snort of laughter a second time as he remembered scrambling in there when Jayfeather, Hollyleaf and himself were just kits, then squashing themselves as warriors.

Hollyleaf...Lionblaze couldn't believe that his sister was actually dead. After he had found her, she had died. As simple as that.

Pulling himself back to the present, Lionblaze mewed, "So, do you know where Thornclaw is?"

Dovewing gave him a brusque nod.

"Where?"

Dovewing's eyes flickered, then she mewed, "Coming back from RiverClan territory, just crossing the ShadowClan border."

_What?_

"What was he doing _there_?" asked Lionblaze.

Dovewing shrugged. "Dunno. I only started tracking him _after_ he started returning. But he's carrying something..." Dovewing's ears pricked. "He's carrying two kits."

* * *

Thornclaw arrived shortly after. He was met by a barrage of questions, but he couldn't answer, because the two scruffs in his mouth made him unable to speak.

Finally, Thornclaw dropped them in the nursery and simply mewed, "I found these two kits in the lake, thrashing about. I had to swim to get them, then brought them back to ThunderClan." he looked hopefully at Bramblestar. "Could we keep them?"

Bramblestar's amber eyes were thoughtful. "The way you put it, it seems that their mother abandoned them. Okay, Thornclaw. We can keep them and raise them."

Lionblaze fought bitterly to get a glimpse of them. They were older than he imagined. They were both five moons old, and she-kits. Yes, they were small, and it seemed that they were separated from their mother early.

One she-kit was a brilliant golden brown with tabby stripes and amber eyes, while another was pure white up to her flank, and the rest of her pelt was a very pale gray. She had green eyes.

"This one's named Amberkit," mewed Thornclaw, nudging the golden brown kit, "And that one's Halfkit, because it looks like the light is only shining on part of her pelt."

Bramblestar nodded. "Welcome, Halfkit, Amberkit."

Both kits looked like someone Lionblaze knew, and it tickled at the back of his mind,

but he pushed it away.

After all, what harm could two kits be?

Lionblaze was going to find out soon.

* * *

Jayfeather couldn't push the thought out of his mind. Five moons ago, he had heard Half Moon's voice saying that she was returning, and he had smelled her scent.

What did this mean?

As Jayfeather lay down in his nest in the medicine cat den along with Seedpaw, he used his power and walked among the stars.

Suddenly, Jayfeather's vision returned, and green, lush grass stretched out in every direction.

Two cats sat in front of him. Bluestar and Yellowfang.

"What do you want?" asked Jayfeather.

Yellowfang's ears twitched with irritation, but she nonetheless answered, "We have come to give you a prophecy."

"_Another_ one?!" exclaimed Jayfeather. "We've just finished battling the Dark Forest! Couldn't we rest for once?"

He was rewarded with a sharp glare from both she-cats.

"Do you think we wanted another prophecy?!" snarled Bluestar. "Do you think we wanted _this_?" she swept her tail to beckon the half faded cats of StarClan. Even the most recent deaths. Jayfeather glimpsed Firestar half faded and Rainwhisker, who had died when he was just a kit, looked like he had lived many lifetimes before. His pelt was so faded Jayfeather had to squint to make out the outline of him.

"Yes, Jayfeather." Bluestar mewed quietly. All the fight had gone out of her, and she seemed to be admitting defeat. "StarClan is weakening. We don't know how, or when it started, but it's happening."

Jayfeather was shocked. He had always thought of StarClan as powerful, even when they needed the help of the living cats to fight the Dark Forest. That seemed reasonable, because the Dark Forest cats had also took the help of the living cats.

But now StarClan was disappearing before his eyes.

Yellowfang twitched her tail impatiently. "Now, let us tell you the prophecy before I need to claw your ears off."

Jayfeather twitched his ears self-consciously, then nodded.

"_Seven of Thunder's blood will hold the power of the stars in their paws and will ensure destruction and peace to Air, Sky, Darkness and Water." _

"What does that mean?" asked Jayfeather, puzzled.

Yellowfang shook her head. "We don't know. This is not our prophecy; it is Rock's. And he only received the prophecy made at the beginning of time."

Jayfeather twitched the tip of his tail. "But I know that Dovewing, Lionblaze and I are part of the Seven."

Bluestar nodded. "And Half Moon."

"_Half Moon?_" Jayfeather mewed sharply.

Yellowfang glared at Bluestar, who seemed to shrink like a kit being scolded by her mother.

"Speaking of which, where is she?" Jayfeather asked. Even this was a good excuse to see her, even if they could never be able to become mates.

Bluestar and Yellowfang suddenly found something interesting to see on the soft forest floor.

"Did she fade?" Jayfeather demanded.

"No." Yellowfang mewed quietly.

"Then I want to see her!"

"You can't."

Jayfeather's claws unsheathed themselves and Jayfeather dug them in the ground. "I want to see Half Moon!"

"You can't!" snarled Yellowfang.

"Why not?"

Bluestar spoke. "Now that you know so much, we might as well tell you. We've sent Half Moon back to the lake to fulfill the prophecy."

Jayfeather couldn't believe his luck. A second chance! Both him and Half Moon were going to get a second chance to be mates!

Only...what if Half Moon _wasn't_ in ThunderClan? For all Jayfeather knew, she could be laughing along with Blackstar in ShadowClan!

"Who is she?" demanded Jayfeather.

Yellowfang eyed him. "We don't know." she mewed truthfully. "You'll have to find her. _And_," Yellowfang continued sharply. "You're a medicine cat. You can't leave your duties: You can't take on a mate."

Jayfeather wanted to scream in frustration. So close, so close to Half Moon, and one of his earliest choices had betrayed him. Spottedleaf had told him that his destiny was to become a medicine cat, and now he couldn't be mates with Half Moon.

"Can't I stop?" he suggested, and a spark of hope flared in his chest.

"Only after you've finished mentoring Seedpaw." Bluestar mewed angrily. "What would happen if ThunderClan was without a full medicine cat?"

Jayfeather twitched his nose. He was fidgeting all over. "But~"

"But nothing!" Bluestar snarled. "Every cat has a sense of duty! Every cat has to sacrifice something for the sake of others! You've got it easy. All you have to do is wait. I sacrificed my own _kits_ for the sake of ThunderClan!"

Jayfeather realized that Bluestar was right, and it felt like a punch to his gut. "Right." he murmured. "Sorry."

"Now wake up." Bluestar mewed gently. "Your Clan needs you. And make sure you tell Lionblaze and Dovewing."

_I will,_ Jayfeather silently promised. _And I will find out who Half Moon is. _

* * *

**Look at this word after this sentence and do exactly what it says. _REVIEW!_**

**-Sky**


	3. Three

**New chappie and thank you for your loverly reviews:**

**surefiredx: Thanks! Though I admit the reason I killed Onestar was because I didn't really like him after he became leader...**

**Anonymous Person: Sorry, but I wasn't really keeping track in the other Clans, so you hafta use your imagination! xD and I need the senior warriors, especially Graystripe, to continue on as warriors. Don't worry, they'll retire soon(AND NO MORE SPOILERS!)**

**Patty Hillard: Sky will**

**lawliness: Thanks! I WILL TRY to finish this, but writer's block always seems to prevent me from doing that... :( And I also wish that Erin Hunter gave me permission, because then I would make MONEYYY $$$$(xD lol, I'm greedy)**

**Disclaimer: So sadly, I DO NOT own Warriors...**

* * *

"_Lilypaw, from now on you will be _known as Lilystone. ThunderClan honors you for your courage and honesty." Bramblestar finished.

"Lilystone! Lilystone!" Lionblaze felt pride swell inside him as he watched his former apprentice made into a warrior.

"Tonight will be your vigil." Bramblestar mewed.

Lilystone bounded over to her sister, Seedpaw, and touched noses with her. "You'll be getting your name soon." she promised.

Lionblaze watched as Seedpaw twitched her ear miserably. "I hope so. All Jayfeather does is tell me what to do and snap at me if I do it wrong." her voice rose up in a wail, "And don't blame me if I can't tell the difference between yarrow and mallow!"

"Mallow leaves are shaped like clovers, while yarrow is spindly, shaped like a green pine tree, and have round leaves poking out of the 'branches'." came Jayfeather's stern reply. "And don't ask me how I know, because I can _feel_, too."

Lionblaze snorted while imagining Jayfeather picking a herb from each pile and feeling it, then mewing "Coltsfoot," putting it back, then taking another herb out. "Juniper berries."

Jayfeather glared at him. "What?" he questioned.

"Nothing." Lionblaze mewed quickly.

Jayfeather narrowed his blind blue eyes. "Does it have to do when you~"

_Oh, no! _Jayfeather was going to make Lionblaze relive the most humiliating part of his life: when he, Jayfeather~then Jaypaw and Hollyleaf~then Hollypaw started listening in on the journey to the mountains and Lionblaze~then Lionpaw~ had his tail sticking out of the bush they were hiding in.

"_It's about the time you were carried like a kit!" _Lionblaze blurted out, then spun around and made a mad dash to the forest in an attempt to live.

* * *

"Okay, so Purdy has an infected pad. What should you give him?" Jayfeather impatiently questioned Seedpaw. As soon as she earned her full medicine cat name, Jayfeather could step down from his duties.

_And find Half Moon_, he added silently to himself.

"Marigold leaves to take out the infection, and a poppy seed to dull the pain." Seedpaw swiftly answered.

Jayfeather nodded. "Go." he said as Seedpaw quickly left the medicine cat den.

Jayfeather waited for a moment, then also padded out. He quickly smelt his brother and Dovewing and ushered them behind the warriors' den.

"We really need to get another hiding spot." Dovewing mumbled over Jayfeather's ear.

"Do'ewi'g! Get yo'r _ta'l_ out of m' mouch!" Lionblaze snarled.

"Then get your _paw_ out of my _ear_!" Dovewing retorted.

Jayfeather felt someone's muzzle poking in his underbelly, but ignored it and mewed, "Bluestar and Yellowfang gave me another prophecy."

"_Another?"_ Dovewing mewed in surprise.

"Yah." Jayfeather tried to distance his muzzle as far away as he could from Lionblaze's paw. "Lionblaze, move your paw!"

_Whack!_ Lionblaze's paw smacked right into his muzzle.

Fighting a yowl of pain that was threatning to burst out of him, he mewed, "The _other_ way!"

"Sorry!"

"Anyway," Jayfeather continued, "the prophecy was _'Seven of Thunder's blood will hold the power of the stars in their paws and will ensure destruction and peace to Air, Sky, Darkness and Water'_."

"Well, we're the Three, so that's three down in the Seven." Dovewing mewed.

"No." Jayfeather responded. "We're the Four. That's _four_ down in the Seven."

"Who's the Fourth?" asked Lionblaze. "And don't say Firestar because we all know he died."

A moment of sadness crept among the three cats, then Jayfeather responded, "Bluestar told me that Half Moon was the Fourth and that she returned to the lake."

"Half Moon?" Dovewing asked, puzzled.

"Who's she?" Lionblaze chimed in.

Briefly, Jayfeather explained his travels back to the past, where he was Jay's Wing, Dovewing was Dove's Wing, and Lionblaze was Lion's Roar.

"Wow." Lionblaze muttered after Jayfeather was finished. "I knew the Three were special, but not _that_ special."

"And now Half Moon has returned, too?" guessed Dovewing.

Jayfeather nodded. "Yep. But we don't know who Half Moon is. Er, I mean her reincarnation." Jayfeather added hastily when Lionblaze and Dovewing shot him a look.

"You're a medicine cat, Jayfeather." Lionblaze pointed out.

"Yeah? And _both_ of us are the kits of a medicine cat." Jayfeather shot back. He tried to wave his tail, but instead collided with Dovewing's eye.

"Ow!" she squealed. "Jayfeather, I thought you were supposed to _heal_, not _hurt_!"

"Haha, very funny." Jayfeather replied. "Why does it feel like it's even more squisher than before?" he asked.

"Because I'm here." a voice said.

Jayfeather was glad of his self control, because just then he was about to lose two things: his pelt and his dignity.

Lionblaze flinched, and Dovewing let out a small shriek, but just then Jayfeather smelled the familiar scent of the newcomer.

"_Bramblestar?"_ Jayfeather asked. "How much did you hear?"

"Everything." Bramblestar responded. "Now would you mind telling me your powers?"

Recultantly, Jayfeather told Bramblestar everything, from when he walked into Firestar's dreams and found out the original prophecy about himself, Lionblaze and Dovewing, to his most recent dream where Yellowfang told him the second prophecy.

"I see." Bramblestar mewed when Jayfeather was finally finished. "A new prophecy, eh? I wonder what's the threat _this time_." Bramblestar snorted. "The first time it was BloodClan, the second time it was Hawkfrost~"

"Excuse me, _Hawkfrost?_" Lionblaze interuppted. "What are you talking about?"

And this time _Bramblestar_ had to explain how he was training with Tigerstar to be deputy, and how when he refused to kill Firestar Hawkfrost tried to kill _him_.

"And the last time it was the Dark Forest." though Jayfeather couldn't see him, he imagined Bramblestar baring his teeth. "I'm glad I won't be able to see those rat-faced scoundrels again."

"Who? Tigerstar, or Hawkfrost?" Jayfeather asked.

"Both."

Bramblestar squeezed himself out of the entrance. "And don't worry." he called out. "This time you won't have to carry the full burden of saving the Clans."

* * *

_One moon later..._

Jayfeather was pretty sure that Half Moon was Halfkit. After all, they shared the same name, and both she-cats were white with green eyes.

Only..Jayfeather remembered that Half Moon was _pure white_. Not white to one part and light gray to another, as Lionblaze had told him.

But still, Jayfeather felt like he should visit the nursery, just in case.

Then he was barreled over by a frantic apprentice.

"Jayfeather! Come quick!" Seedpaw mewed. "Squirrelflight's having her kits!"

Jayfeather blindly rushed over to the nursery, where Squirrelflight was groaning. He put his paw on her belly and felt three heartbeats.

"Okay, you'll be fine." Jayfeather mewed, trying to stay calm. "Your belly muscles are working to push the kits out. After this spasm, you have to push along with it."

"Don't worry, dear, you're doing fine." Daisy mewed gently.

"If this is what _fine_ feels like, I'll pass, thank you." Squirrelflight groaned.

Suddenly, Jayfeather was aware of another presence. "Bramblestar! Go outside and stay there." Jayfeather forced himself to be stern.

Bramblestar sighed. "All right, all right."

"But get Halfkit and Amberkit out of the nursery. _And_," Jayfeather mewed sharply. "go get some wet moss for Squirrelflight."

"Right." Bramblestar quickly exited the nursery.

"Bramblestar will make a better father than Berrynose." Jayfeather muttered under his breath. Louder, he called to Squirrelflight, "Now!"

Jayfeather could feel Squirrelflight strain, then a small sac connected to a cord plopped out. Jayfeather nipped the cord and licked the sac until it popped open. Out came a tiny tom kit.

Jayfeather pushed the kit toward Seedpaw. "Lick his fur the wrong way until he starts breathing." he ordered.

As Seedpaw knelt to lick, a second sac fell out. He did the same procedure, and a small she-kit came out, squeaking loudly.

Jayfeather couldn't help but purr. "This one's already breathing." he mewed, and placed the kit at the curve of Squirrelflight's belly, where she promptly latched on and started suckling.

Seedpaw placed the tom kit, now also breathing, at Squirrelflight's belly. He, too, started suckling beside his sister.

Squirrelflight's belly convulsed a final time and out came another she-kit, where he promptly licked until he heard her wail.

Placing the third kit at Squirrelflight's belly, he listened to the content sound of quiet suckling.

Just then Bramblestar emerged with a wad of dripping moss. "Squirrelflight..." his voice died out as he saw the three kits at her belly.

"Squirrelflight." he breathed as he set down the moss.

Squirrelflight purred weakly. "That isn't something I'd like to go through everyday." she joked.

Jayfeather heard Bramblestar affectionetly nudge her. "Look," Squirrelflight mewed, "The tom looks just like you."

"Except he has a white streak on his back." Bramblestar responded. "How about we name him Lightningkit?" he asked.

Jayfeather thought about mewing snarkily, _Are you sure that you aren't going to give these to _Leafpool _this time?_ but thought against it, as he heard that the two were so happy.

As he and Seedpaw exited the nursery, Seedpaw mewed happily, "I can't wait to visit Lightningkit, Featherkit and Whitekit soon!"

"Huh?" mewed Jayfeather absentmindedly. "Oh, yeah." he pulled a few leaves of borage from the medicine cat den and returned to the nursery. "Eat these." he ordered, placing them near Squirrelflight's muzzle. "They'll help your milk come."

As Squirrelflight licked up the herbs, Jayfeather's vision suddenly returned. He saw her kits; one was a dark brown tabby, as Bramblestar said, his sister was a dark ginger with four white paws, and the final one was a solid light gray one. But the kits didn't attract his attention. It was the three ghostly cats, watching him with glittering, malicious, eyes.

They were Tigerstar, Brokenstar, and Hawkfrost.

* * *

**Wondering how they're back? Well, review and the next chappie will be up soon!**

**Shout-out to the first person who reviews this!**

**-Sky**


	4. Jay's Wing and Half Moon

**Shout-out to surefiredx! I finished this early because I really liked the plot of the chappie!**

**Patty Hillard: Arrghh...it always does. I think that writer's block has a special hatred for me.**

**Disclaimer: How many times are you going to force a poor girl to say that she doesn't own Warriors and it's FREAKING BREAKING HER HEART!**

* * *

"_Halfpaw, your mentor will _be Lionblaze." Bramblestar mewed, shooting Lionblaze a discreet look, and Lionblaze understood. He was purposely putting the Fourth in Lionblaze's paws.

"Lionblaze, you have courage and strength. I expect you to pass on all you know to young Halfpaw."

Lionblaze touched noses with his new apprentice.

"Amberkit, from now on you will be known as Amberpaw. Your mentor will be Dovewing."

A gasp was emmited from Dovewing, and Lionblaze felt pride for his former apprentice.

"Dovewing, you have shown keen senses and determination, and you have learned well through Lionblaze. Pass on as much as you can to Amberpaw."

Dovewing dipped her head and touched noses with Amberpaw.

The crowd of cats dispersed, and Graystripe started calling out patrols in a hoarse voice.

Lionblaze felt a twinge of sympathy. Graystripe was getting old, and Lionblaze was pretty sure he should've joined the elders by now, but he still held a position of power, and clearly he was doing his best.

Halfpaw prodded him in his side. "What are we gonna do now?" she questioned in a shy voice.

"We'll explore the territory." Lionblaze answered.

Halfpaw gave an excited bounce. "Yay! Can we hunt, too?"

Lionblaze stifled a purr as he remembered how excited he had been when he was first made into an apprentice, too.

"Maybe."

"We'll tag along." came a voice from behind Lionblaze. Lionblaze spun around and met the eyes of Dovewing, closely followed by Amberpaw.

Dovewing's eyes were despairing and pleading. _Help!_ She seemed to mew, _what do I do with my apprentice?_

The four cats shuffled out ThunderClan camp.

"Where are we going to head to first?" asked Halfpaw.

"To the ShadowClan border." answered Dovewing. She gave a hopeful glance to Lionblaze, and he nodded.

As they went to the clearing, Lionblaze remembered all the blood spilled over this useless piece of land. But it had _some_ prey in it, at least.

Dovewing's ears twitched. "Over there." she mewed softly, pointing her tail to a tree, where a small vole was resting. "See if you can catch it." she told Amberpaw.

Amberpaw nodded, her eyes focused on the vole. She crept around it and stepped on a leaf, which crackled loudly.

The vole squeaked with alarm and shot off. Amberpaw followed in determined pursuit. She kept on going, going, going...

"Amberpaw!"squeaked Dovewing, terrified. "Stop this instant! You're heading to ShadowClan te~" she was abruptly cut off as Amberpaw was knocked off her paws by a ShadowClan patrol consisting of Olivenose, Tigerheart, Ratscar, Rowanclaw and Starlingwing.

"You! Get off of ShadowClan territory!" snarled Rowanclaw, and was earned a fierce glare from Amberpaw.

"You can't tell me what to do!" she shot back, glaring at Rowanclaw.

"Amberpaw!" Dovewing cried, running over. "Amberpaw," she begged, "please come back over the border."

"Just a moment." Amberpaw retorted. "I need to teach these fox-hearts a lesson."

"Amberpaw!"

Lionblaze and Halfpaw rushed over.

Rowanclaw snarled at the three newcomers. "Get off ShadowClan territory!"

Lionblaze felt fury bubble up in him. "This is the border!" he reminded. "ThunderClan cats have as much right to be here as ShadowClan cats."

Rowanclaw waved his tail to the patrol. "ShadowClan, attack!"

He barreled into Lionblaze, and Lionblaze saw Olivenose leap on Amberpaw, while Starlingwing aggresively tackled Halfpaw, who tumbled over with a squeak.

Lionblaze's fight with Rowanclaw was easy...until Ratscar joined in the fray and Lionblaze was forced to fight two on one.

Everytime Lionblaze reared up to slash Rowanclaw over the ears, Ratscar would duck down and nip at his legs, then pounce on him from behind.

Having no choice, Lionblaze backed up against a crowd of maple trees and kept his back there, lashing out if either cat got too close.

A yowl of fury was unleashed behind Lionblaze. He realized that the ShadowClan warriors were deep in the clearing. A ThunderClan patrol consisting of Bramblestar, Thornclaw, Whitewing and Spiderleg leaped on the ShadowClan warriors, and Lionblaze was grateful for Bramblestar's help.

"Get off our territory!" snarled Bramblestar, ripping Rowanclaw's ear and letting the blood spill and stain the forest floor.

At last the patrol retreated, and a wail was heard; Thornclaw was bending over the motionless and broken form of Halfpaw.

"Halfpaw!" Lionblaze called, then dashed over to examine his apprentice.

Thornclaw quickly picked her up by the scruff. "Ah'll tek h'r to J'yf'rr," he mumbled around the scruff.

"What'd he say?" Amberpaw asked.

" I think he said 'I'll take her to Jayfeather'" Lionblaze answered.

Lionblaze looked at Thornclaw, who was carrying Halfpaw briskly, but gently so she wouldn' t take more damage.

Amberpaw's eyes flashed defiantly. "I'll _flay_ the rat-faced, mangy-pelted, dog-breathed, cowardly piece of fox dung that did that to her." She stretched, then eyed Lionblaze seriously. "And one day I'll be deputy, and a leader." her amber eyes glittered with ambition. "I promise."

Then Lionblaze realized who she ressembled so much.

Tigerstar.

* * *

Jayfeather sensed Thornclaw entering the medicine cat den. Seedpaw was outside watering his collection of herbs. Though it was still greenleaf, Jayfeather suspected that it was better to stock up on herbs early.

Immediately Jayfeather sensed pain, coming off in great waves, and by the way Thornclaw was shuffling, he must've been carrying something.

"J'yf'rr, Haffpaw got hu't dur'ng a b'rd'r fight w'th Sha'daCl'n." Thornclaw explained. Jayfeather heard him gently set down the thing he was carrying in his mouth. "Can you heal her?"

"Yes." Jayfeather immediately answered. He flicked his tail. "Go outside. Right now, you're just crowding the den up."

"Okay." Thornclaw quickly left Jayfeather alone with Halfpaw.

"Did it really have to be you, Halfpaw, that got hurt?" Jayfeather muttered under his breath as he sniffed at a long claw mark at the side of her flank which was still bleeding.

Jayfeather swabbed his paw in cobwebs, and he chewed up some marigold, then placed the poultice and kept it on with cobwebs, which also stopped the bleeding.

Halfpaw's breathing seemed to ease, but was still painstakingly slow.

Jayfeather quickly fixed up the rest of her wounds, which were minor. The only big problem was the claw mark that stretched from her shoulder to her flank.

He heard dragging and smelled Briarlight dragging herself inside, holding a mouse in her jaws. She dropped it at Jayfeather's paws.

"Here." she mewed. Now that Jayfeather had an apprentice, Briarlight spent most of her days in the camp clearing, or in the nursery, where she slept. "I've brought you a mouse. Figured you needed to keep your strength up." Stifling a yawn, she added, "Aren't you sleepy?"

Now that Briarlight had mentioned it, Jayfeather realized that he was forcing his eyes open, even though there was nothing to see. Turning to Briarlight, he asked, "Did the sun set yet?"

Briarlight nodded. "A long time ago. Rest now, and in the morning you can take care of Halfpaw." as Jayfeather opened his mouth to refuse, she added, "I don't think you'd be much help to Halfpaw if you're half-asleep." she mewed wryly. "And eat the mouse!"

Knowing there was no use arguing with Briarlight, Jayfeather ate the mouse. After he took his first bite, he remembered how ravenously hungry he was. He polished off the mouse in just a few bites.

Briarlight purred with amusement. "Now sleep." she ordered. "I'll watch her."

Jayfeather murmured, "Yeah," and plopped himself beside Halfpaw.

_Now is the time, _he told himself.

Jayfeather slowed his breathing to match Halfpaw's, and closed his eyes, plunging into Halfpaw's dream.

Water flowed from a majestic mountain. With a shock, Jayfeather realized that he was seeing the home of the Tribe of Rushing Water.

_This is perfect!_ Jayfeather thought happily. _I can show her the home of the Trible of Rushing Water and relay the memories to her._

Halfpaw was playing with the spray of water. There were no cats there, but Jayfeather was about to change that.

"Hello." he mewed, stepping into the pool of water and wetting his leg and belly fur. "Can I join you?" he asked.

Halfpaw stopped playing and stared at him. "Who're you?" she asked.

"I'm Jayfeather, Half Moon."

Halfpaw's eyes widened. "Who's Half Mo~" then she stopped. Jayfeather realized that they were both whirring through each other's memories. He saw through Half Moon's life, as she was kitted by her mother and always stared shyly at Jay's Wing, who was Jayfeather's previous life. He felt her anxiety whe Jay's Wing entered the tunnels under the lake. He felt her joy as he emerged, safe and sound.

It went on like that, until the memories stopped with a bone-breaking _thud_. Halfpaw was in the exact same position. No time had passed during the memories.

"J-jay's Wing?" Halfpaw asked.

"Do you have your memories back?"

"I think so." she answered softly. "I was the first Stoneteller of the Tribe of Rushing Water. A long time after I died, I was sent back to the lake to fulfill the Prophecy of Seven. Is that right, Jayfeather, or should I say, Jay's Wing?" she asked, shooting him a playful look. "If I remember correctly, you hated being called Jay's Wing."

Jayfeather felt relief cloud him. The cat that he loved was back.

"They told me not to." Halfpaw muttered, burying her nose in Jayfeather's fur. "Bluestar and Yellowfang told me not to fall in love with you." she looked at him with plaintive, green eyes. "But I can't help it!" she wailed. "I love you, Jayfeather!"

Jayfeather pressed himself against her. "I love you too."

* * *

**'Nother shout-out to the first AND second person to review this chappie! LOVE JayxHalf, so if you ship JayxBriar, sorry!**

**-Sky**


	5. Tiger's Roar

**This is mainly Dovewing's POV during the border fight with ShadowClan. Shout-out and replies to lawliness and Anonymous Person:**

**lawliness: thanks! :) I really appreciate your reviews**

**Anonymous Person: No probs! LOL, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Jayfeather with Half Moon. It's just too cute! xD And don't worry, you won't like it for long(I'll probably kill off your favorite character...ARRGH why do I always gove away spoilers?)**

**Disclaimer: Forcing me _once more _to say that I don't own Warriors? What kind of cruel person _are_ you?**

* * *

_When the battle started_, Dovewing was barely touched. The only cat left to fight her was Tigerheart, and he clearly wasn't going to hurt her. He instead lightly pounced on her and battered at her softly with sheathed claws.

Dovewing pushed him off aggresively with her hind legs. "We aren't friends anymore." she snarled, and tried to convince herself just that.

Tigerheart's amber eyes were deep and sad.

"Please, Dovewing." he begged. "Give me a second chance."

"I gave you a second chance when you _used_ me to get catmint from Jayfeather." Dovewing growled. It was getting harder and harder not to get lost in those beautiful amber pools. "And plus," she reasoned. "we're in different Clans. It's forbidden by the warrior code to be mates."

"That didn't stop Leafpool and Crowfeather." Tigerheart shot back while gently raking his claws against her flank, as to not pierce the skin. "And I would do anything for you. I would switch Clans to be with you." his eyes were pleading. "Please. Give me one final chance."

Dovewing gave up. It was impossible to resist him. "Fine." she sighed. "One last chance, but if you screw up, the next thing you know you're back in ShadowClan licking your wounds and I'll be in ThunderClan having kits with Bumblestripe."

Tigerheart didn't complain. "Okay." he mewed happily. "tomorrow, at moonhigh, at the border?"

"All right."

Dovewing hoped that she wasn't getting herself into trouble as ShadowClan retreated.

"Dovewing!" Amberpaw called, running up to her. Her amber eyes were glittering. "Halfpaw got hurt!"

Dovewing rushed over to the limp figure of Halfpaw just as Thornclaw picked her up.

"Ah'll tek h'r to J'yf'rr." he mewed around her scruff.

"What'd he say?"Amberpaw asked.

"I think he said, 'I'll take her to Jayfeather'" Lionblaze mewed.

_Please, StarClan_, Dovewing prayed, _don't let Halfpaw die. We need her, and if she dies, everything will be lost._

* * *

When Dovewing arrived at camp, Bumblestripe and Ivypool practically barreled into her. The sunset behind her was beginning to fade, and moonlight lit up the camp.

"Dovewing! We heard you were in a border skirmish!" Ivypool exclaimed. She drew herself back doubtfully and looked at her. "You're covered in blood."

"Probably Halfpaw's..." Dovewing's voice trailed off. She remembered Halfpaw's broken and twisted body, and shuddered.

Bumblestripe licked her cheek. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Dovewing blearily nodded. She then noticed that Ivypool had a goofy kind of look on her face.

"What?" Dovewing asked.

Ivypool shook her head. "It's nothing." she mewed, shooting an unhappy glance at Rosepetal, who, as always, was mooning over Foxleap.

Ivypool muttered something nasty under her breath.

"Got into a fight?" Dovewing asked.

Ivypool grimly nodded. "Yeah. And Foxleap doesn't even know that we're fighting over him."

Dovewing rolled her eyes. _Stupid toms!_

She tried to speak but was interuppted by a yawn. She noticed that the sunset was gone, to be replaced by the dark night sky. She saw Briarlight dragging herself over to the medicine cat's den, too.

Ivypool nudged her over to the fresh-kill pile. "Here." she mewed. "Eat."

Dovewing shook her head. "I'm not that hungry." she confessed. "I'll just go to sleep."

"I'll come along with you." Bumblestripe immediately volunteered.

Ivypool purred and flicked her tail. "Okay, go on, lovebirds."

Dovewing padded inside the warriors' den and quickly plopped herself in her nest beside Bumblestripe. As the two curled up, Dovewing mumbled, "Thank StarClan that the warriors' den was extended or else we'd _still_ be sleeping with the apprentices."

As soon as Dovewing dreamed, she was caught by StarClan.

Dovewing padded through the dying grass of StarClan. _Yuck!_ She thought. _This place looks like the Dark Forest!_

"_A_-hem." mewed a voice behind her.

Dovewing whipped around and met two familiar yellow eyes that belonged to an also familiar gray she-cat.

"I know you!" Dovewing blurted out. "You came to me in a dream when I was an apprentice!"

The gray she-cat snorted. "Seems like you're more bright than you were the last time we met, but yes. That's true. I'm Yellowfang."

"Yellowfang..." the name sounded familiar. "Were you the one who kept 'bothering' Jayfeather in his dreams?"

Yellowfang snorted again. "He was quite annoying."

"And~let me guess~you were the reason he woke up with random injuries?"

Yellowfang rolled her eyes. "If it was during my lifetime, kitty, I would've _killed_ him. I had quite a temper there."

Dovewing was shocked. "But-but you're a ThunderClan cat!"

Yellowfang shook her head. "Not always. Before I joined ThunderClan, I grew up and was raised in ShadowClan, but they exiled me, and ThunderClan welcomed me with open paws." her voice was solemn. "And I'm loyal to ThunderClan only."

Dovewing nodded. "I believe you."

"Okay, I need to tell you something; a prophecy." Yellowfang's tone grew brisk, and suddenly Dovewing realized that every last StarClan cat was faded, or transparent.

"Something's weakening you." Dovewing whispered, horror-struck.

_Whack!_ A painful paw with sheathed claws smacked Dovewing in the face, and she staggered.

"Concentrate!" Yellowfang growled. "I need to tell you the prophecy."

"You already told Jayfeather." Dovewing mewed.

Yellowfang shook her matted and scarred head. "No," she meowed, "This is a different prophecy.

Dovewing nodded. "I'll tell the Four."

"_Seven must journey to the roots of the Four and seek great darkness that arises." _

"Seven must journey...that's got to be the Seven...roots of Four...if it means the roots of Lionblaze, Halfpaw, Jayfeather and I, then we must go to the Tribe of Rushing Water, right? But that doesn't seem right...four means something else." Dovewing mused, half to herself.

Yellowfang nodded. "Now wake up."

* * *

Tigerheart was nervous about the meeting with Dovewing the next night. What if she suddenly hated him and never showed up? What if...what if...

Tigerheart absentmindedly took a piece of fresh-kill from the fresh-kill pile.

"Tigerheart? Tigerheart!" came the scolding voice of Tawnypelt.

Tigerheart looked at his stern mother. "Yeah?" he mewed.

"Don't tell me you're gonna eat a piece of rock!"

Tigerheart looked at the rock in his paws in surprise. "Oops." he muttered as he dropped the rock and grabbed a frog instead.

When the frog was finished, Tigerheart went over to his nest and quickly fell asleep...

"Traitor!" growled Tigerstar as soon as he was asleep.

Tigerheart stared at his namesake in shock. "I~i thought you were..." his voice trailed off.

"Well, guess what?" snarled Tigerstar. "I'm _back_." on that word, Tigerstar leaped for Tigerheart, but many painful nights of training had given Tigerheart fast reflexes. He whipped to the side and tried to rake his claws down Tigerstar's flank.

But Tigerstar was better. Soon enough, he had Tigerheart pinned down and ready to kill him with a bite to the neck. His firm hold was no match for Tigerheart's vain attempts to free himself.

"This is what happens to traitors of the Dark Forest." Tigerstar snarled. "I'll get that Ivypool last."

_Ivypool!_ _I have to warn Dovewing!_ Tigerheart thought urgently.

"And don't think you're going to escape this, because you're~mrroww!" Tigerstar mewed in shock as a blue she-cat barreled into him.

"Bluestar!" Tigerstar snarled.

Thinking about Dovewing had given Tigerheart renewed strength, and both he and Bluestar slowly drew Tigerstar back until he fled, but not before snarling, "I'll be back, traitor! And don't forget it!"

Tigerheart realized that Bluestar's pelt was even more faded than before. "I don't know." Bluestar answered before he could ask.

"But-but why did you help me?" Tigerheart asked. "I was training in the Dark Forest!"

Bluestar did not answer immediately. "Let's you and I take a walk." she mewed.

After that, Tigerheart was taken a long and boring silent tour of StarClan hunting grounds, which were also dying.

Finally, Bluestar stopped at a waterfall. The mist covered and drenched Tigerheart, and he shook his pelt irritably.

"Yes?" he asked impatiently.

Bluestar sliced a claw through the water, and it showed four cats. One was Dovewing; Jayfeather; Lionblaze, but the last cat Tigerheart didn't recognize. She was pure white to one part of her flank and a very pale gray to the other part of her pelt.

"_Seven must journey to the roots of the Four and seek great darkness that arises." _Bluestar mewed.

"Wha~" Tigerheart began to ask, but was interuppted by, once again, Bluestar.

"_Seven of Thunder's blood will hold the power of the stars in their paws and will ensure destruction and peace to Air, Sky, Darkness and Water." _

Before Tigerheart could ask again, Bluestar mewed, "These are two prophecies, and those four cats and _you _are the subject of both prophecies."

"I remembered Dovewing, Lionblaze and Jayfeather held the power of the stars in their paws, but not all of _us!_"

Bluestar shook her head. "Tigerheart," she mewed gently. "You are a reincarnation of the ancient cat who lived in the mountains, born as Lion's Roar's littermate, Tiger's Roar."

Tigerheart was shocked. He knew about the Tribe of Rushing Water~Tawnypelt told him~but _this?_

Bluestar nodded. "It's a lot to take in, isn't it? The three in the past were Dove's Wing,"

_Dovewing_, Tigerheart thought.

"Lion's Roar,"

_Lionblaze,_

"Jay's Wing,"

_Jayfeather,_

"And Half Moon."

_That must be the other cat. _

"Her name now is Halfpaw."

Bluestar mewed softly, "It is your turn to wake up."

But as Tigerheart left StarClan hunting grounds, he still heard Bluestar's last sentence, barely above a whisper.

"You are the Fifth."

* * *

**Shocking, huh? Shout-out(again) to first person who reviews this chappie! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! **

**-Sky**


	6. The Sixth

**Sorry for such a short chappie! Shout-out to Anonymous Person and replies to reviews:**

**Anonymous Person: NO. MORE. SPOILERS :P You'll just have to wait for chappies now!**

**Patty Hillard: I'm really happy too, 'cause I'm pretty sure no one saw that coming, that Tigerheart was the fifth. **

**lawliness: OMG thanks! I'm looking forward to later chappies, because I planned a twist(that's as close as a spoiler you're gonna get now :P)**

**LarkspiritofForestClan: LOL, I don't mean it! It's just sometimes things slip onto my keyboard and...well, you get the point!**

**Disclaimer: You know, causing a girl sadness that she doesn't own Warriors is rude. **

* * *

"_Are you sure, Dovewing?" asked _Jayfeather. "There's no reason Yellowfang shouldn't come to me, I mean, it's perfectly natural for medicine cats to recieve omens from StarClan."

Jayfeather heard Dovewing lash her tail. "But I'm not a normal cat, am I?" she challenged.

Halfpaw nudged Jayfeather. "Move over. You're heading for a tree."

It was the sunrise after Halfpaw got injured, and she seemed to be healing considerably well. The four were taking a walk outside cap to discuss the prophecy that Dovewing had recieved the night before.

Jayfeather angled himself so that he was walking diagonally and well around the tree.

Lionblaze sniffed. "Seriously, Dovewing! You don't need to be all sensitive about it."

Jayfeather guessed that Dovewing was rolling her eyes. "Well, so-ree that I'm frustrated of you three treating me like I'm the youngest!"

"You are." Jayfeather stated flatly.

"Halfpaw is!"

"But Halfpaw has all her memories and wisdom from her time as a Healer in the Tribe of Rushing Water."

Dovewing snorted. "Still! I'm a warrior now. W-A-R-R-I-O-R! I can take care of myself!"

"Okay, okay, forget it." Jayfeather mewed. "So the second prophecy also mentions the Seven?" he added.

"I think so." Dovewing answered. "But what are the 'roots of the Four'?"

"There are a lot of fours." Lionblaze mused. "Four mice, four starlings, four juicy pieces of vole..."

Lionblaze's belly grumbled.

"Let's not change the subject to prey," Halfpaw mewed, but it was obvious she was containing her laughter.

"What about the four great Clans?" Dovewing asked. "Like, ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan and WindClan?"

"She could be right," Jayfeather spoke up, "but the 'roots' would be back in the old forest~which is probably crawling with Twolegs tearing up the ground. There won't be _any_ prey and...and..."

"Still, we have to try." Halfpaw pressed herself against him, and Jayfeather could feel the warmth and the stares from Lionblaze and Dovewing.

"Fine." Jayfeather huffed, although deep down he knew he could never be frustrated at Halfpaw. "But we still need to watch out for the rest of the Seven. There are three remaining that are unknown, but we have a lead.

"We do?" Dovewing asked, surprised.

"Yes. '_Seven of _Thunder's _blood_'." Jayfeather mewed. "That means that they can only be in ThunderClan."

"But we don't have Thunder's blood! We're related to Firestar!" Dovewing cried.

"Yeah, but Firestar's mate was." Jayfeather mewed sharply. "And your father probably also carries Thunder's blood." he mewed to Dovewing.

"Does that mean that Jayfeather and I carry both Thunder _and_ Wind's blood?" Lionblaze asked.

_Oh, StarClan._Jayfeather felt his fur ruffle up. "We have no father or mother." he snapped. "They've both left us from the moment Hollyleaf..." his voice trailed off, but he and Lionblaze already knew what he was going to say.

_From the moment Hollyleaf killed._

But to Halfpaw he was silent. None of them knew if she was even part of any of the Clans.

"We should be getting back to camp." Jayfeather instead mewed to Halfpaw. "You need to rest because of your injury."

Lionblaze nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Once back at camp, Jayfeather was tackled by Mousewhisker and Icecloud.

"I~just~wanted~to~tell~you~that~Icecloud's~having~my~kits." Mousewhisker panted.

Jayfeather was bewildered. "Why are you panting?"

Icecloud seemed amused. "After I told him, he, uh, sorta demolished the elders' den."

"Again?" Jayfeather groaned.

"Icecloud, your kits aren't due for three moons, so I guess it's okay for you to continue your warrior duties." Jayfeather mewed. "But if you feel cramps, _go to the nursery immediately_, and I _don't care_ if the Clan is being attacked or whatever."

Jayfeather absentmindedly passed a cat, but was stopped by her. Her familiar scent wafted up to Jayfeather's nose.

"Be careful." Leafpool whispered.

"Of what?" Jayfeather snarled, itching to get away from her. Maybe he had forgiven Squirrelflight~okay, but he still couldn't forget the way Leafpool had _lied_ to him.

"Of falling in love." Leafpool murmured.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Jayfeather snapped, then trotted to the medicine cat den, where Halfpaw was resting,

"I'm trying, Leafpool." Jayfeather mumbled, just out of earshot. "But it's so hard."

* * *

Dovewing cautiously padded over into the moonlit clearing. She expanded her senses and heard Tigerheart, patiently sitting on the border and waiting.

Trying to push the thrill inside her heart, Dovewing gracefully leaped over to the border~nothing like the clumsy little kit she once was. Being one of the Three had changed her in ways she couldn't imagine.

Tigerheart purred. "Hi, Dovewing."

Dovewing flicked her tail in greeting.

"Listen, I need to tell you something." sincere concern flickered in his amber eyes, and Dovewing listened and her jaws gaped in shock as TIgerheart described Tigerstar and the Dark Forest.

"But~but he was killed by Firestar!" Dovewing spluttered. "How can he be back?!"

Tigerheart held his tail up in warning. "I don't know." he said after he glanced back to make sure no cat had heard.

Then Tigerheart explained something even more shocking; that he used to be Tiger's Roar in the ancient Tribe of Rushing Water; and that he was the Fifth.

"But~but," Dovewing stammered, "You aren't of Thunder's blood!"

"Yes, I am." Tigerheart replied calmly. "My mother is Tawnypelt, and she used to be a part of ThunderClan. In fact, I have many kin in ThunderClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan; Mothwing."

Defeated, Dovewing slumped. "I guess I'll have to tell Lionblaze, Jayfeather and Halfpaw." she muttered.

"Why so sad?" Tigerheart questioned.

"They treat me like a kit." Dovewing mumbled. "Just because Halfpaw's more mature than I am."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not you that needs to be sorry. It's Jayfeather and Lionblaze that need to be sorry." Dovewing curtly answered, feeling both her and Tigerheart's hearts shattering in a million pieces.

"I'm sorry, Tigerheart, but I'm not sure this is going to work out." Dovewing mewed sadly. "We're in different Clans~plus, Bumblestripe already thinks we're mates."

"If being in different Clans is the problem, then I'll switch." Tigerheart declared. He looked at her with adoring eyes. "I would do anything for you Dovewing. Even give up my kin and family in ShadowClan for you."

Dovewing was warmed to the tips of her ears as she pressed her nose in his fur. "Thank you." she mumbled.

For once, Dovewing was at peace. Her worries calmed down until it was almost sunrise, where Tigerheart twitched.

"I need to go." he explained.

"Me too." Dovewing muttered. "Tell Lionblaze and Jay~" she yawned and realized that she was simply babbling. "I'll just leave." she mumbled with embarrassement and Tigerheart purred.

_We are now Five._

* * *

The dark gray tabby she-cat took a step back from an identical cat. "No! It can't be true!" she protested. "After my struggles, I find this out!"

"You felt that you were a distraction." the other cat mewed. "You can be with him now, and you have no need to worry."

"No!"

"You can't deny it. You have to." the identical cat mewed. "Cinderheart, you were once Cinder's Flight and now you hold the power of the stars in your paws."

"You are the Sixth."

* * *

**Expect the unexpected! If you didn't know who the identical cat was, she was Cinderpelt. I know, I know, Cinder's Flight is a really lame name, but I couldn't think of anything else, so if you do, tell me!**

**Again, shout-out to first person who reviews this chappie!**

**-Sky**


	7. Cinder's Flight

**Haii guys! Sorry for updating late, but there's a surprise POV in here! And you~WAIT! NO SPOILERS! Shout-out to IrisTenebris! This also shows the extent of Amberpaw's anger. **

**Replies to reviews:**

**IrisTenebris: Sixth! Yay! Just one more cat to go... and as for the Ivypool comment, maybe she is, maybe she's not...you just have to read it!**

**Anonymous Person: Hahaha...well, since cinder is dust, I thought it could be like dust flying around and stuff... just saying, the seventh will be a cat that you had never thought of(hopefully) **

**Arianna Flamepelt: Thanks!**

**Guest'Cinder's Flight could be Cinder's pool': Hmmm, maybe, but I thought Cinder's Flight could be like dust flying around or something...**

**Guest'I have kit ideas for all three couples': I like all the descriptions and names, but I might mix them up...**

**Patty Hillard: xD You won't be able to guess the seventh!**

**Ilovecatz: Ya wanna find out? Guess and you might just get it!**

**Disclaimer: Stop forcing me to say that I don't own Warriors! It's so sad!**

* * *

_Am I the Sixth? Cinderheart woke up_ with a start. The air in the warriors' den was humid and moisty, but with an edge of leaf-fall. Soon, greenleaf would end and leaf-fall and leaf bare would attack the Clan with harsh claws.

She turned to the sleeping figure beside her~Lionblaze. His snores echoed throughout the enitre warriors' den, and Cinderheart purred with amusement.

Would she tell Jayfeather, Lionblaze, Dovewing and Halfpaw that she was the Sixth? How could she?

_And if I'm the Sixth, who's the Fifth?_

Frustrated, Cinderheart shuffled her way out of the crowded warriors' den, earning her a few growls and hisses.

"Ow! You're treading on my tail!" Berrynose snapped.

"Sorry." Cinderheart whispered.

The cream-colored warrior huffed, but said nothing as he curled up beside the tortoiseshell form of her sister, Poppyfrost. Cinderheart made a mental note to avoid Berrynose's stubby tail.

As Cinderheart stepped out, she felt the sudden urge to go out into the forest and have a long walk.

She quickly told Bramblestar that she was going out for a walk, then trotted out into the forest. Birdsong echoed throughout the oak and maple trees.

Suddenly, Cinderheart was aware of a new cat's scent. She sniffed the air, then went into shock as her limbs and muscles spasmed and she was thrown into the air, three fox-lengths from the ground.

Desperately, she clawed for a branch, until she realized that she was floating in midair.

_This must be my power,_ thought Cinderheart. She shuddered. _Creepy._

A snarl of frustration echoed on the forest floor. The innocent blue eyes of Cinderheart met the hatred of ice-blue eyes.

That belonged to the ghostly form of Hawkfrost as he pounced and claws met flesh.

* * *

"Lionblaze, have you seen Cinderheart?" came the questioning voice of Sorreltail.

Lionblaze~still half-asleep~shook his head groggily. "Nope." he answered, stifling a yawn. "She was gone when I woke up."

Bramblestar poked his head in the warriors' den. "She told me she was going out for a walk, but she hasn't been back. Lionblaze, do you want to check?"

"Sure."

Lionblaze quickly made his way into the forest, where he caught a stale scent of Cinderheart. Sniffing the scent trail, Lionblaze made his way over.

Then he heard moaning. And smelled the fresh scent of Cinderheart.

Lionblaze pushed forward, then felt something oozy and sticky touch his pads. He slowly lifted his paw and looked at the underside of it. It was slick with blood.

"Cinderheart!" Lionblaze yowled.

A moan replied.

Practically sprinting forward, Lionblaze stumbled on a tree root. He squeaked in surprise and landed on his belly. His paw collided with red fur.

No, make that bloodstained fur.

There was so much blood on the cat that he couldn't see her fur color, but her clear, blue eyes and familiar scent told him who she was.

Cinderheart.

Cinderheart moaned, looking at Lionblaze with eyes, but cuts on her forehead trickled blood into them, so she was blinded.

"Molepaw?" Cinderheart whispered, her voice hoarse. "Is that you?"

Lionblaze felt a fresh wave of anger consume him. Cinderheart couldn't even _recognize_ her own mate! Whoever did this to her was going to pay. Dearly.

"No," Lionblaze murmured in her sliced ear. "It's me, Lionblaze."

"Lionblaze?" Cinderheart's bloodied eyes clouded with confusion, then suddenly became more vivid. "Oh," she mewed. "Lionblaze, it's you..." her voice trailed off, and Lionblaze realized that she was drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Wake up, Cinderheart!" Lionblaze whispered.

Cinderheart did not move.

Sighing, Lionblaze gently grabbed her scruff and pulled her up. Cinderheart hung limp from his jaws.

_Don't worry, Cinderheart, _Lionblaze silently promised. _I'll get you to Jayfeather._

* * *

Blood.

A cat.

A white-and-gray cat covered in blood.

Jayfeather stared in horror at Halfpaw. The ancient(sort of) she-cat lay motionless on the ground. Her blood darkened her pure white fur, and soaked into her gray fur. Her green eyes~usually brilliant and beautiful~were dulled and lifeless; staring off into space.

She was dead.

Jayfeather tried to piece together the memories.

Golden brown fur.

Tabby stripes.

Amber eyes.

_Amberpaw?_

Claws.

Flesh.

Blood.

_Someone murdered her..._

Jayfeather shook his head angrily. _Remember! _He mentally snarled at himself. _You can walk in other cats' memories, but not your own?_

A cackling laugh sounded behind him. Jayfeather slowly turned around and met two pairs of amber eyes.

Tigerstar and Amberpaw.

"Good job, Amberclaw." Tigerstar congratulated. "You were strong, unlike your weakling sister. Weaklings deserve to die."

Amberpaw nodded, her eyes glimmering with ambition. "Will I be Clan leader now?" she asked. Her voice startled Jayfeather. This wasn't the young, ambitious she-cat he knew. From her voice, Amberpaw had matured, and was at least twelve moons now.

"Almost." Tigerstar promised. "First, you need to kill Graystripe. You've mentored a fine, strong apprentice. Then you'll get deputy position. Then," he added, "you kill my idiotical, peaceful, weakling son." Tigerstar spat the words out.

Amberpaw nodded.

Jayfeather realized that Amberpaw had become a warrior, and had already mentored. With a sinking feeling in his chest, he looked back at Halfpaw.

She was still the young apprentice he knew.

"Halfpelt~she was always special." Amberpaw~Amber_claw_~ muttered. "Bramblestar always looked at her funny, and so did nearly every other cat. She thought she was _so_ smart, imagine the shock on her face as I killed her!" Amberclaw sounded pleased that she had murdered her sister.

Tigerstar certainly looked pleased. "Now, I need you to do me another task." he told her.

"Yes?"

"Kill that cat over there." Tigerstar mewed, looking straight at Jayfeather.

Amberclaw did not hesitate. She swiftly pounced as her muscles rippled powerfully. She caught Jayfeather by the throat before he could defend himself, and she viciously tore at his flesh...

Jayfeather woke with a start as darkness descended over him. He tasted the air. It was morning.

With a shudder, he remembered his dream. Amberpaw had been in the Dark Forest, along with Tigerstar, and had murdered Halfpaw. She had mentored a kit into StarClan-knows-what, and didn't hesitate to kill again~for leader position, and for Jayfeather.

_Just who exactly _is_ Amberpaw? _

* * *

_Just who exactly _am_ I? _Amberpaw questioned herself as she curled up in the apprentices' den the night before. Without Halfpaw, it was cold except for Snowpaw and Dewpaw. Snowpaw curled around her reasurringly and Amberpaw felt warmth seep into her as she was pulled into a dream.

Amberpaw pawed her way through dying, rotting grass and wondered where the heck she was until she realized that she was surrounded by cats with stars in their fur, all faded and terribly transparent.

"Hello, Amberpaw."

Amberpaw whipped around to meet green eyes. They belonged to a faded, black she-cat.

"I am Hollyleaf~mrrow!" that last part was caused by Amberpaw viciously leaping on her and grabbing her throat.

"You!" she snarled, anger already consuming her. "Get out of my sight before I tear you into little bits!"

Hollyleaf looked at Amberpaw in shock. "Why-why do you hate me?" she asked gently.

"Because I've heard the stories." Amberpaw growled. A red mist descended over her eyes. "I hate you!"

Hollyleaf's eyes showed nothing other than confusion.

"I'll tell you." Amberpaw spat.

"First, you hated Leafpool for breaking the warrior code, _then_ you _murdered_ Ashfur~"

"It was an accident!" protested Hollyleaf.

"~and tried to murder Leafpool." Amberpaw continued like there was no interupption. "You told her 'You don't deserve to live!' but _you_ were the one who didn't deserve to live. You hated Leafpool for breaking the warrior code, then you _killed. _Isn't killing against the warrior code? You hated Leafpool so much, but in the end you also broke the code. Doesn't that give me the right to hate you, too? Then you came back and 'saved' the Clan from Sol and WindClan, even though all you showed was how to fight in there, and you thought that everyone would forgive and forget. But you were wrong! Everyone said you were a hero, but what kind of hero kills? What kind of hero tries to _murder_ her own mother? What kind of hero decieves her own brothers into thinking she's dead, then appearing right afterwards? Do you _know_ how much grief you caused them for nothing?"

Hollyleaf was silent.

"You lived without parents. Because I don't want to turn into _scum_ like you are, you're going to tell me who my mother and father are."

Hollyleaf didn't move, but stared at her with defiant, green eyes.

Amberpaw's grip tightened. "Tell me!"

Still Hollyleaf stood motionless.

Amberpaw delicatly unsheathed one claw. "Tell me or I swear, you will blink out of existence tonight."

Recultantly, Hollyleaf lifted her head and whispered something in Amberpaw's ear.

* * *

_What?_

Amberpaw felt shock as she woke up. Snowpaw was still curled around her, breathing gently. Amberpaw eased herself out of his grip, and quietly padded away, as to not wake him.

Amberpaw knew where her destination was. She entered the warriors' den and quickly located the golden brown figure that had brought her to ThunderClan. He knew who her parents were.

"Thornclaw!" Amberpaw snarled quietly.

The golden brown tom irritably cracked open one eye. "What?" he muttered.

Amberpaw flicked her tail toward the entrance of the camp. "Let's you and I have a walk."

Soon the two ThunderClan cats were padding through the dense forest.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Thornclaw asked.

"You know." Amberpaw looked at him with burning amber eyes. "You know who my parents are."

"I-i don't know." Thornclaw stammered, caught off guard.

"Yes you do." Amberpaw murmured, and she looked at him directly. Anger was surging in her paws as she looked at him. "Liar." she mewed. "But, fortunately, _I_ know who they are."

"Who?" Thornclaw asked.

"You and Mothwing."

* * *

**Didn't see that coming, didja? Anyway, if you want, you can guess who the seventh cat is(the seventh cat is really important) and I've realized that this story has reached 22 reviews. Let's make it thirty peoples!**

**-Sky**

**P.S School has started for me now, so I'll have to update later. SCREW YOU, SCHOOL!**


	8. Halfpaw's Rage

**WHY I ONLY HAVE 28 REVIEWS? And we have a special POV this chappie!**

**Replies to Reviews:**

**xScarclawx: Yeah, I know, but I wanted the actual prophecy to start already...but don't worry, I'll give you something to think about for the Seventh cat**

**Rainclaw99: Amberpaw isn't the reincarnation of Tigerstar, and don't worry, I'm not trying to screw the Clans, and it was rushed 'cause I wanted the prophecy to start already because after eight chappies we're still at the beginning of the plot...**

**Brightstar678: Dang it...I usually describe things in my story with detail, so I was hoping that you would dismiss that is an unimportant detail...but you're really good at observing, aren't you?**

**Lilysplash: Thanx! **

**IrisTenebris: Thanks! I like the ancient cat names, but I think I should stick to Cinder's Flight, because it's a pun on her power, isn'it it? **

**Disclaimer: You can't force me to admit that I don't own Warriors...whoops, dang it. **

* * *

_Horror consumed Jayfeather as _he remembered his vicious dream. Amberpaw...how could she? And who _was_ her heritage?

Jayfeather shook his head as Halfpaw beside him stirred.

Jayfeather had to inhale as much as he could to make sure that Halfpaw wasn't seriously injured. He would have to keep his eye~er, _paw_ on Amberpaw.

"Halfpaw, a word." he mumbled to her.

"Yeah?" she asked.

With a heavy heart, Jayfeather explained his dream to Halfpaw, including every detail, once Jayfeather was finished, Halfpaw burst out,

"Well, that's just mousebrained!" she exclaimed. "Amberpaw would _never_ hurt me. She's my sister, blood, and kin."

"She might be more interested in blood than you think. Remember, I also saw Tigerstar."

"It was a _dream_, Jayfeather!"

"It could've been a warning from StarClan." Jayfeather retorted.

"That's it." Halfpaw snarled. She whipped around and Jayfeather heard her stalk out of the medicine cats' den.

"Her wounds are almost completely healed, anyway." Jayfeather murmured under his breath.

But the fact that Halfpaw now hated him hurt him anyway.

_I'm a medicne cat!_ He reminded himself. _I'm not _supposed_ to have a mate!_

So why was there a gaping hole in his heart?

* * *

_The truth is out..._

Amberpaw didn't know whether to feel happy or anxious. All she knew was that she was sleepy. Very.

_I'll just sleep till sunhigh...what harm could _that_ be?_

But as soon as Amberpaw entered the apprentices' den, she kept thinking about revenge. It was Thornclaw and Mothwing's fault that if the truth would be revealed, she would no longer be trusted by her Clanmates. They would stare at her suspiciously and whisper things about her, just out of earshot.

And that made Amberpaw furious.

_It's Thornclaw and Mothwing's fault..._ she kept repeating to herself, convincing her that getting revenge for making her half-Clan was the right thing to do.

_I'll get revenge!_ was the last thing she thought before she dreamed.

In her dream, Amberpaw was walking through a thick, dark and dying forest, but it didn't seem at all like StarClan. In StarClan hunting grounds, everything was still bright and cheery, even though each of them faded every day.

There were no stars in the night sky, and when she heard the scuttle of prey at ferns, she leaped at it, only to realize that it was nothing.

_What _is_ this place?_ Amberpaw wondered, though privately, she liked the damp feeling about this, the coolness of the breeze whipping on her face, and the quietness, but sense of power this place had.

"Hello, Amberpaw."

This greeting was too alike from the time Hollyleaf greeted her, so Amberpaw whipped around, her claws already unsheathed.

She was facing a dark brown tabby tom with gleaming amber eyes, and Amberpaw was suddenly reminded of Bramblestar.

The tabby seemed amused by Amberpaw's silent outrage, and purred. "Don't worry. You'll see why I'm here soon enough."

"Why?" Amberpaw demanded.

"Do you not wish revenge on my weakling, peaceful daughter and her mate?" the tabby questioned. "Do you not wish to earn your much needed revenge?"

"Wait." Amberpaw mewed sternly. "If Mothwing is your daughter, then you must be..."

"...Tigerstar." the tabby finished. "Leader of ShadowClan and the Dark Forest." Tigerstar dipped his head, amber eyes glinting.

"You're going to train me?"

Tigerstar lifted his head. "If that's what you wish."

Amberpaw didn't know what to say. True, she desperately wanted to erect her revenge on Thornclaw and Mothwing, but she had also heard stories of the ferocious Tigerstar, how he murdered Redtail and tried to kill Bluestar back in the old forest to quench his ambitions, then brought BloodClan to the forest and nearly killed all four Clans, whom formed together to become LionClan. Only then were they able to beat BloodClan.

"What's it it for you?" Amberpaw asked.

Tigerstar looked mystified. "Huh?"

"You said you were going to help me. Why would you want to help me? How is it going to benefit _you_?"

Tigerstar's reply was flawless. "For two reasons." he told Amberpaw firmly. "One, because we are kin."

_True, _Amberpaw thought.

"And two, Mothwing has no lust for power. She is a disgrace for my heritage, but _you_, Amberpaw, I see great potential in you. So much untapped power, it could be yours. Don't you ever wish to be leader, so that you could do all that you pleased, no cat to tell you what to do, don't you wish that?"

Tigerstar's words had a ring to truth with it, and Amberpaw swayed, the temptation overwhelming her.

She curled her lip. "Train me."

* * *

"Tigerheart?" Dovewing called out at the border the previous night. "Are you here?" she smelled Tigerheart's fresh scent strongly, but she didn't see him.

"I'm over here."

Dovewing let out a squeal of surprise because she could've sworn there was only air there.

Wait...there _was_ only air there.

Then the 'air' materialized into Tigerheart, his amber eyes alight with laughter.

"Scared you!" he exclaimed. "That's my power. Cool, huh?"

"Tigerheart!" Dovewing scolded, trying to calm her pounding heart. "You almost scared me to death!"

Tigerheart looked abashed. "Sorry." he mumbled.

Dovewing breathed a sigh of relief. "It's okay." she said. "So, do you have any idea who the Sixth or Seventh are?"

Tigerheart's eyes blinked thoughtfully. "Hmm...it's almost impossible for nearly _anyone_ in ShadowClan to be the Sixth or Seventh, so they might be Tawnypelt and Dawnpelt." he suggested.

Dovewing virgously shook her head. "Tawnypelt was already chosen for the Great Journey from the forest to the lake. And Dawnpelt is mad." she added, "Didn't she name her kit Flamekit?" she asked.

Tigerheart shuffled his paws. "Everyone in ShadowClan misses him. Especially Littlecloud. Once he's finished training Mistpaw~that's the new ShadowClan medicine cat apprentice~ he'll retire to the elders. He said so himself."

"Then there's no more in ShadowClan." Dovewing mewed. "That narrows it down to ThunderCl~"

Tigerheart interuppted her. "What about RiverClan?" he asked.

Dovewing blinked. "What?" she asked.

"There are cats in RiverClan that have ThunderClan blood." Tigerheart reminded her. "Mothwing and Mistystar~and not to mention Mistystar's son, Reedwhisker."

Dovewing sank to her paws. "And include all the other cats in ThunderClan and I give up! There's just too many possibilities!"

Tigerheart touched the tip of his tail against Dovewing's spine, and she shivered.

"Remember, Firestar included a lot of non-Clan cats." Tigerheart pointed out, trying to reasurre her. "Such as Daisy and Purdy."

Dovewing exhaled. "Yeah, I guess."

* * *

"I am the Sixth...I am the S..." Cinderheart mumbled in her sleep.

Lionblaze's tail shot straight upward. He glanced at his mate, who was still covered with bites and scratches.

"Am the Sixth..." Cinderheart sighed, then nestled herself deeper into her nest.

Lionblaze tried to calm her down, even though his heart was bouncing up and down as he quickly left his visit to the medicine cat den.

"Jayfeather! Get Halfpaw and meet Dovewing and I behind the warriors' den!" Lionblaze hissed as quietly as he could allow.

Jayfeather's face blanched at the mention of Halfpaw, but ran off all the same.

"Dovewing!" he quickly spotted the green-eyed gray she-cat. "Meet behind the warriors' den!"

Dovewing yawned, then squashed herself along with Lionblaze behind the den. Moments later Jayfeather and Halfpaw joined them. It was obvious the two had a spat, as Halfpaw was ignoring Jayfeather and waves of hostility came off her.

As rapidly as he could, Lionblaze explained what Cinderheart was saying.

"It would also make sense that she was targeted." Lionblaze reasoned. "Because if one of the Seven died, the prophecy would be ruined."

Halfpaw nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, but if Cinderheart's the _Sixth_, who's the _Fifth_?" she asked.

Dovewing tried to shuffle her paws, but ended up kicking Jayfeather in the muzzle, and she got a hiss in reply.

"We really need to get a better hiding spot." Jayfeather murmured beside Lionblaze's flank.

Dovewing explained her meetings with Tigerheart at night, and how she realized that he was the Fifth. Lionblaze's jaw dropped on Halfpaw's head.

"Ow!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry."

"But Dovewing!" Lionblaze protested. "_Tigerheart? _He's from ShadowClan!"

Dovewing tried to lash her tail, but it ended up in Lionblaze's mouth. "I noticed that!" she snarled. "But now we know all the way up to the Sixth. We just need to find the Seventh and we'll be able to journey to the 'roots of the Four', whatever _that_ means."

Jayfeather sighed. "Well, we'd better find that Seventh cat."

* * *

Bramblestar sniffed the air. Most of the heat of greenleaf had passed, and now leaf-fal and leafbare seemed only whiskers away. Bramblestar prayed for his Clan to survive.

A dark shadow passed over Bramblestar's eyes, and suddenly he was an apprentice again, striking out at Bone beside Tawnypaw, Fernpaw and Ashpaw. As Bone reached to grab him, Bramblestar expected Tawnypaw to lash out at him, as she did in the original battle, but this was different. Suddenly, Bone transformed into his father, Tigerstar, and he grabbed at his throat with sharp claws.

The other apprentices fled.

"Traitor!" Tigerstar snarled, and his claws on Bramblestar's throat closed deeper and deeper...

Bramblestar arrived back in the present. He self-consciously pawed at his throat, where he felt Tigerstar grip him.

"The battle of the Dark Forest is not over yet." Bramblestar murmured under his breath. "And the only ones who can save us all are the Seven."

* * *

**Just to clear it up, Bramblestar was the special POV, and we're going to have Amberpaw's POV regularly now. **

**REVIEW PEOPLES 'CAUSE I WANT THIRTY-FIVE REVIEWS BY THE TIME THE TENTH CHAPPIE IS PUBLISHED!**

**-Sky**


	9. Breezepelt and Nightcloud

**HALLOOOO! Today you shall find a special guest POV, if I say so myself. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LOVELY 35 REVIEWS! **

**R2R(replies 2 reviews):**

**Brightpathsunclan: Maybe Amberpaw is, maybe she's not... you'll have to find out**

**Anonymous Person: Yes you should! LOL, especially because I'm raising the goal to forty! Forty reviews for 10 chappies, you hear peoples/cats?**

**The Moonstar9: Thanx!**

**Rainclaw99: Well, I sorta need Tigerstar in this story, so I guess he can't be Amberpaw..**

**Patty Hillard: Theirs' are cool, but Halfpaw's is cooler. Read the next chappie to find out.**

**Silverstripe: Of course it is! LOL**

**Disclaimer: You guys are so rude, you know, forcing me again and again to say that I don't own Warriors!**

* * *

_The air was damp and _was filled with moist. No stars twinkled in the night sky. Tigerstar curled his lip. There weren't any stars in the Dark Forest in the first place, anyway.

Hawkfrost and Brokenstar had returned, thought that had surprised Tigerstar. He would've thought with the tool they were using that it would take much longer than that, but no matter. The Dark Forest was strong again. Tigerstar doubted that any living cats would want to join the Dark Forest again, but his kin~always so reliable. Amberpaw was exceptional. Just a few tweaks here and a few pinches there and Amberpaw could be as ruthless as Tigerstar was.

But what about Halfpaw?

Tigerstar snorted. Halfpaw was of no use to him~she followed peaceful ways, as her mother did. It was such a shame, but he would have to kill all that would get in the way.

_Crunch, crunch!_

Amberpaw made her way through the Dark Forest. Tigerstar curled his lip once more. Her brilliant golden-brown pelt shone in even the darkest of places. Then Tigerstar froze. A feeling~one that he hadn't felt since the end of his life~flowed through him, freezing his heart and making his pelt prickle. At first, Tigerstar was confused of this foreign touch, until he realized that it was fear, and he was whipped in an confusing memory.

It was back in the old forest, at Fourtrees, but Tigerstar felt in a different body. He raised his paw and recognized Bone. He was fighting against many of the Clans' apprentices; including Bramblepaw.

Tigerstar felt his body change into the familiar one he was used to. Tigerstar gripped Bramblepaw by the throat and the apprentice widened his eyes. He choked as Tigerstar sunk his claws in the traitor's throat.

"Traitor..." Tigerstar whispered.

Then it was over as Amberpaw was looking up at him.

"What're you, crazy? You freaked out on me." Were her offensive words.

Tigerstar took a deep, calming breath and forced himself to be menacing. "Stop fooling around. We have training to do."

* * *

Amberpaw woke up covered in bruises. She groaned. Tigerstar was always harsh on her, not caring if she screamed out in agony, but she had to admit, she realized that she was slowly improving, her muscles becoming stronger by the day.

Her sister, Halfpaw, stirred. Amberpaw's sister looked at Amberpaw with brilliant green eyes framed by a snowy white pelt, and Amberpaw could almost forget that the other half of her sister was a pale, downy gray.

"Amberpaw!" Halfpaw gasped.

Amberpaw blinked in confusion. Why was her sister so concerned?

"You're bleeding!" Halfpaw leaned forward to lick the long scratch that started from her shoulder and ended at her flank. It was oozing blood.

_Oh._

Covered in bruises and all, Amberpaw hadn't really noticed the pain that was there and assumed that it was just another one of her bruises.

"It~it must've been a thorn in my bedding." Amberpaw stammered, desperate to find an excuse for the injuries on herself.

She glanced at the other two apprentices. _Come on!_ Amberpaw begged silently. _Back me up!_

But Snowpaw simply gathered to his paws. "Dirtplace." he grunted before he left, leaving Amberpaw to Halfpaw's questioning green eyes.

Amberpaw looked pleadingly at Dewpaw, but he blankly stared back at her. _What am I supposed to do?_ he seemed to ask her.

Just then Snowpaw returned from the dirtplace, much earlier than Amberpaw had expected.

"You have some blood on your bedding over there." Snowpaw mewed with teeth clenched. As Halfpaw exited the apprentices' den to find Jayfeather Snowpaw leaned down and nudged the bloodstained moss that used to be Amberpaw's nest. Very discreetly, Snowpaw spat out a thorn and quickly shoved some moss over it. Amberpaw shot him a grateful look as Halfpaw entered with Jayfeather.

"See!" she exclaimed. "Amberpaw has a wound and is bleeding."

"I _can't_ see," Jayfeather mewed irritably, "But Amberpaw," he added, "come to my den. Immediately."

"But what happened to her?" Halfpaw fretted. There was true concern in her sister's eyes. "Cats don't just wake up with injuries."

Jayfeather's eyes narrowed.

_Could he suspect that I'm being trained by Tigerstar? _Amberpaw wondered, then quickly mewed, "I think I got a thorn in my bedding." Amberpaw quickly rummaged through the moss and emerged with Snowpaw's thorn clamped within her teeth.

Halfpaw's relief was obvious. "Oh, good."

Jayfeather shoved Amberpaw into the medicine cat's den, where he quickly put a marigold poultice fastened on with cobwebs.

"No training for you today." was Jayfeather's answer.

Amberpaw didn't feel downcast: after all, didn't she already train with Tigerstar?

But Amberpaw just shortly nodded, and settled to basking in the warm sun, when a sudden question popped into her mind. _Why did Snowpaw help me out like that? It was clear he was skeptical about the 'thorn'. _

When the amber-eyed white tom came back from hunting, he briefly locked eyes with Amberpaw before she drew away, hot with embarrassment.

_What is _wrong_ with me?_

* * *

"And so you think Amberpaw's training in the Dark Forest?" was Halfpaw's flat statement behind the warriors' den."

"So what if I do?" Jayfeather retorted irritably. _Really, _he thought, _even though Amberpaw's her sister, doesn't mean that she can train in the Dark Forest!_

"Halfpaw," Jayfeather heard Dovewing gently mew, "Ivypool used to train there, without spying. She also woke up with random injuries."

"But Amberpaw even _found _the thorn!"

Lionblaze stamped his paw angrily on Jayfeather's head, and Jayfeather tried not to snap at him.

"I gave Ivypool a thorn when she was in the same situation." Even fair-minded Dovewing was beginning to become frustrated.

Jayfeather, smushed against Halfpaw, felt her slump. "Fine." she mewed sadly. "Continue thinking that. I won't protest anymore."

Before any cat could react, Halfpaw stomped out behind the warriors' den. Jayfeather made a mad dash after her.

Halfpaw kept running, right up to the stream beside WindClan, where she stopped.

"Jayfeather." was Halfpaw's wobbly voice.

Jayfeather stayed quiet.

"I hope you're happy now. You always suspected that Amberpaw would do something like this. Go on, gloat."

This wasn't the Halfpaw~or Half Moon~Jayfeather knew. Halfpaw sounded almost broken down~defeated.

"I'm not happy." Jayfeather mewed softly.

"Yes you are!" defeat suddenly turned into rage, and Jayfeather tensed himself in case Halfpaw leaped on him.

"Halfpaw..."

Halfpaw leaped over his head in a wide arc. _"I hate you!" _she cried as she ran away.

Jayfeather slumped. _Great, _he thought bitterly. _I get a second chance at becoming mates with Half Moon, and she hates me. Just great. _

That was when he felt claws prick at his pelt and the smell of Breezepelt.

Jayfeather yelped, and tried to run, but was quickly pinned down by Breezepelt.

"Yeah, just run, stupid, blind kitty!" Jayfeather heard him sneer in his ear.

Desperately, Jayfeather tried to lash out, or call for help, but Breezepelt's claws caught on his throat, choking him.

Then he slipped out of consciousness.

* * *

It was sunset when Dovewing realized that Jayfeather still hadn't returned. She went up to Lionblaze, who clearly also noticed Jayfeather's absence.

"Where do you think he is?" Dovewing asked her old mentor.

Lionblaze shrugged. "I'm not the one with the super enhanced hearing." he reminded her.

"Oh, right!" Dovewing exclaimed, slightly embarrassed. She drew out her senses and searched around ThunderClan territory. None.

_Hmm, odd, _she thought.

She extended it to WindClan, and she still didn't find Jayfeather. A sudden, wild thought popped into her mind, and she searched the Moonpool, where she got a shock.

Jayfeather was there, all right, but so were Breezepelt and Nightcloud.

* * *

"Are you kidding me?!" Halfpaw practically screamed the moment Dovewing voiced her finds.

"No!" Dovewing exclaimed. "Jayfeather is at the Moonpool, covered in cuts and scrapes, with Breezepelt and Nightcloud. It sounds like they're..." Dovewing shuddered. "_torturing _him."

Halfpaw felt her vision go blurry as she collapsed. _No, Jayfeather..._ Dimly, she remembered her last words to him before he disappeared.

_I hate you!_

Suddenly, Halfpaw felt something grab her scruff and pull her up.

"Get~a~hold~of~yourself." Amberpaw mewed calmly.

"I _can't!_" Halfpaw wailed.

Amberpaw narrowed her eyes.

_Uh-oh..._Halfpaw thought. _Jayfeather is a medicine cat...and he's not supposed to take a mate..._

But Amberpaw didn't voice her doubts. Instead, she mewed, "You can relax. I'm going along with Lionblaze and Dovewing."

"And me." Halfpaw gasped. "I'm going." she added quietly under her breath, so that no cat could hear, "Because I love him."

The four cats made their way to the Moonpool, making sure to steer clear of WindClan.

_What would they say if they found two warriors and two apprentices on their territory? _Halfpaw snorted in her mind.

When they arrived in the cavern with the Moonpool, Halfpaw immediately caught the strong scent of Jayfeather and WindClan.

Halfpaw felt claws scrape the rocky ground, but before she could react, she felt herself get pounced on and she felt the hot breath of the tom as he mewed, "No cat move, or this apprentice dies."

* * *

**Oh yeah! Cliffie! P.S, you guys can vote for what you want for Amberpaw and Halfpaw's warrior names!**

**Amberpaw choices: Amberstorm, Amberflight, Amberpool, Amberleaf, Ambercloud**

**Halfpaw choices(okay, so there aren't a lot! Deal with it!): Halflight, Halfsnow, Halffrost**

**AND REMEMBER TO REVIEW 'CAUSE IT'S NOW FORTY REVIEWS UP TO THE TENTH CHAPPIE!**

**-Sky**


	10. Death

**Haii guys! Sorry for the sort of short chappie, but whatever! You're probably going to hate me after this chappie though...**

**R2R:**

**Rainclaw99: I _might've _gotten the idea, but Jayfeather's kidnapping was crucial to the plot so...**

**lawliness: Halfmoon? I think that would be reflecting on her past life a little too much(*cough* Dovewing: Dove's Wing*cough*) and that's called "A Medicine Cat's Pain" but I'm not copying: this part was crucial to da plot**

**Patty Hillard: You'll find out Halfpaw's power in this chappie!**

**xScarclawx: Why thank you! xD**

**Read Forever: I'll consider it**

**Disclaimer: You know, I REALLY hate it when people make me admi that I don't own Warriors**

* * *

_No cat move, or this apprentice dies..._ Halfpaw shuddered at the tom's cruel words. _This must be Breezepelt, _she thought.

Halfpaw heard rain. Pouring rain. It had started raining since the four of them had gotten here. It was raining so hard that Halfpaw was pretty sure that the rivers and the lake would start overflowing.

WindClan scent wafted through her nose. So strong Halfpaw was sure she was going to be sick. She felt the claws of the tom dig into her pelt, and she resisted the urge to howl in pain. No way she was giving Breezepelt the satisfaction of watching her in pain.

Halfpaw risked a glance upwards, and immediately wished she hadn't. There, lying in a part of the cave was Jayfeather. He was unconscious, and his fur was covered with scratches and cuts, all oozing blood. Halfpaw felt her heart squeeze for a moment.

Taking a deep breath, Halfpaw let her mind wander. First, she wandered into Jayfeather's mind, and knew that he was deeply unconscious. He was in such a depth that one would describe him as a living rock.

Then Halfpaw's mind crawled over to Nightcloud's. She was staring at Jayfeather and Breezepelt, her gaze filled with hatred for Jayfeather, and admiration and proudness for her son. Halfpaw realized how deeply she hated Lionblaze and Jayfeather~she wanted them dead to sever the connection between Crowfeather and Leafpool. Nightcloud's feelings for Leafpool...Halfpaw shuddered. There were some things that should be left unsaid.

And finally, Breezepelt. Halfpaw heard his open hatred to all of ThunderClan, learned his fury at his father when he attacked him, and glee at finally getting revenge. Halfpaw winced. _This cat is _insane_!_ She thought.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Halfpaw's mind. She let out a terrible howl of pain and forced herself to go limp. She felt triumphant as Breezepelt loosened his grip.

_Now, Lionblaze! You have to attack him _now_!_

And there it was, the flash of golden fur. Halfpaw had never thought golden fur could be so beautiful in her life. There was a grunt as the two toms landed on the ground and wrestled among each other.

_Wham!_ Halfpaw easily crumpled under the sturdy weight of Nightcloud as the angry she-cat pounced on her, but was quickly thrown off by a furious Amberpaw and Dovewing.

With both cats occupied, and with Halfpaw knowing that she had almost no skills in battle(Gee, thanks, Bluestar, Yellowfang. She may have regained her memories, but she sure didn't regain her skills in battle), so she rushed over to Jayfeather. Desperately, Halfpaw let open her mind and searched through her memories during her time as Healer, then stopped.

_I'm as stupid as a mouse being stalked! _She thought angrily. _Those are _mountain _herbs, which _don't _grow in the forest! Or a piece of..._

Halfpaw realized that there were green shoots peeking out of the rocky ground and felt a rush of excitement. These _were_ mountain herbs! Even now, Halfpaw could see snow willow, alphine, and so many more! Halfpaw padded forward and nipped off the stem for snow willow. Looking around, she spotted cobwebs stuck near the edge of the Moonpool, and swabbed her paw in it. She first stopped the bleeding with a few cobwebs, then covered most of his body with a snow willow poultice and stuck it there with many more cobwebs. Halfpaw unconsciously looked at Amberpaw's marigold poultice. Just then, she realized that snow willow and marigold had the same effects.

Nodding in satisfaction, she then faced Breezepelt and Lionblaze. Breezepelt had many wounds, though Lionblaze had none, but both were panting hard, and it was obvious the two toms were tired.

Stretching out her mind again, she listened to Breezepelt's thoughts. _First I'll feint to the left, then catch him by the flank as he moves to intercept me at the left. _

Halfpaw watched in horror as Breezepelt feinted to the left and she yowled, "Lionblaze! He's feinting! Move to the right!"

Lionblaze shot Halfpaw a confused look, but did it nonetheless, and he easily caught Breezepelt in his outstretched claws.

Halfpaw jumped into Breezepelt's mind again and listened to his thoughts. _How did that mangy she-cat know...? She won't know what to do when I hook Lionblaze's legs out from him, then pounce!_

As Breezepelt moved, Halfpaw yowled a second time, "Don't let Breezepelt hook your legs out!"

Lionblaze was prepared this time. As Breezepelt was near his legs, paw outstretched Lionblaze leaped and landed squarely on his back, crushing the breath out of him.

Halfpaw surpressed a purr of amusement at the squashed Breezepelt, but then watched in horror as Breezepelt wriggled out of Lionblaze's grasp, dashing at her with savage eyes. Halfpaw didn't need to reach out into his mind to know that he was furious at her.

Halfpaw tried to move, but it was too late. At first, all she felt was pain. Intense, searing pain in her chest as she was batted into the air with a powerful, strong paw. She landed on the rocky ground, the pain so intense that momentarily she saw only black spots that danced along her vision. Then she yelped as she was shoved on the ground.

She was shoved farther, farther, farther, until there was no ground left. Just Moonpool. Halfpaw squeaked as the water stung her wounds(Thanks, Breezepelt, Starlingwing) and her head was plunged under the surface.

Halfpaw, disoriented, chose a direction and padded toward it with as much strength as she could muster, with her eyes squeezed shut. She felt her paw touch sand. She had swum the wrong way.

Halfpaw gave up. Her lungs were threating to burst, and she couldn't see. She drifted for a few moments, then was suddenly caught in a riptide. She squealed as she was pushed with such force that it sent her back to the surface. Air, sweet, fresh air, filled her lungs. Halfpaw dared to open her eyes. She was in the river that connected to the Moonpool now. Rain poured in her eyes, and Halfpaw blinked, trying to regain her vision.

Halfpaw realized that she was getting farther and farther away from Lionblaze, Dovewing and Amberpaw, and closer and closer to the churning waves of the lake...

* * *

"Halfpaw!" Amberpaw stopped the wrestle with Nightcloud as she watched her littermate get swept downstream. She was getting closer and closer to the treacherous waves...

"Halfpaw!" Amberpaw cried again. She leaped over the fighting toms and made a mad dash at the river. "Halfpaw! Halfpaw!" Desperately, Amberpaw wanted to leap in the overflowing river, though she knew even her powerful muscles(thanks, Tigerstar) could not fight the strong current.

Amberpaw kept watching until Halfpaw disappeared under the waves. Suddenly, grief and sadness consumed her. She had lost her sister and littermate~the one cat she was closest with~thanks to a stupid river. But the one really at fault was...

"Breezepelt!" Amberpaw snarled, whipping around, fixing the black tom with blazing amber eyes. By silent agreement, Lionblaze stepped aside.

Crouching down, Amberpaw pushed off her strong hind legs and flew three fox-lengths off the ground. She twisted in the air and landed on Breezepelt's back, lashing out at his head.

Breezepelt hissed and writhed under her grip.

"You!" Amberpaw snarled. "You killed Halfpaw!" she hooked her claws in him and began tearing at his flesh. Somewhere at the back of the cave, Jayfeather groaned, and Amberpaw saw Lionblaze's eyes flash with anger. Amberpaw jumped off, knowing what was coming next.

Amberpaw didn't hear the gurgle of blood that erupted off of Breezepelt's throat, nor the cry of horror Nightcloud let out. The only words that rang in her ears were, _He deseves it. Halfpaw's dead. _

Grief welled up in Amberpaw's throat. She could barely believe that Halfpaw~_Halfpaw_~was really dead, but Amberpaw had seen it. Amberpaw had watched Halfpaw sink under the waves~and never come back up.

Breezepelt fell to the ground, claws still unsheathed, teeth still bared. But there was no evil glint in his eyes now. He was dead.

Amberpaw felt a spark of horror, but remembered that he was responsible for Halfpaw's death. Still, Amberpaw couldn't help feeling some regret for being part of Breezepelt's death.

"Nooooo!" Nightcloud wailed. She fixed all three cats with a piercing glare. "Next time," she warned, "You will all be sorry for harming me and Breezepelt." she picked up her deceased son by what little scruff he had and bounded away.

Amberpaw stared bleakly at them. _We got Jayfeather back, _she thought, _but the price was too high. _She looked at the churning waves, easily hiding the dead body of what once was her beloved sister.

* * *

**If you honestly don't know, Halfpaw's power was reading thoughts that were not her own.**

**-Sky**


	11. Spirits and Shells

**Haloooooooooo! (to the tune of 'Daylight' by Maroon 5) Here I am writing. A new chappie. So wonderful...(yeah, let's stop) And I'm going to a talent show today, so wish meh luck!**

**R2R:**

**Rainclaw99: She did die...in a way that will be explained in this chappie**

**Brightpathsunclan: Thankzz!**

**xScarclawx: She did die...in a way, and how come you're only 80% sure? xD jk, just teasing**

**The Moonstar9: Yes. Yes he did!**

**Disclaimer: I am getting really tired of repeating that I do not own Warriors!**

* * *

_The days and nights _passed, though Amberpaw didn't notice. The moment she returned from the battle at the Moonpool, she had dragged herself into her nest and had wallowed in grief.

Dovewing had done nothing to stop her, and, secretly, Amberpaw was grateful. The last thing she needed was more apprentice training. She stubbornly refused fresh-kill from Thornclaw, and Amberpaw heard Jayfeather and Seedpaw muttering about her. Amberpaw was too grief-stricken to be angry.

Then, finally, one night, Snowpaw forcibly dragged Amberpaw out of the apprentices' den and into the hollow clearing. Amberpaw glimpsed the fallen tree, now covered in mosses.

"So, what do you want?" Amberpaw asked irritably.

"First," the amber-eyed white tom gestured to her belly. Amberpaw looked down and was surprised to see every single one of her ribs, sticking out in odd angles. Her shoulders were the same.

Snowpaw dragged a mouse, two thrushes and a vole over to her. "I swear to StarClan, if you don't eat soon, you're going to join your sister." Snowpaw's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to apologize, but Amberpaw's tail flicked in understanding.

"It's okay." she mumbled through the mouse and thrush she was already devouring. Amberpaw realized just how hungry she was. Once her belly was full, she realized that her ribs weren't so visible anymore, and that her shoulders no longer stuck out at prominent angles.

"Better," Snowpaw snorted with amusement. "Come on." he gestured to the camp entrance. "Let's take a walk."

"In the forest? Now?"

Snowpaw playfully rolled his eyes. "No," he mewed sarcastically, "I meant in the lake, during the morning."

Amberpaw felt hot with embarrassment, then shook herself, calming down.

"Sure."

The walk through the forest, bathed in moonlight, was both calming and beautiful. Snowpaw's white fur glowed, and Amberpaw's own tabby golden brown fur was matted, but still shone.

The two apprentices lay down beside the Sky Tree and began sharing tongues. Soon, Amberpaw's fur was as sleek and shiny as Snowpaw's.

"Why?" Amberpaw murmured after they were done.

Snowpaw looked at her in confusion. "Huh?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Amberpaw asked. "What did I do to get such nice treatment from you?"

"I~uh... It's because..." Snowpaw was speechless. The two amber eyes locked together for a moment, then Amberpaw looked away, flushing with embarrassment.

"I should be getting back to camp." Amberpaw stood up, and waved her tail in farewell.

"It's because I love you." Snowpaw whispered after she was gone.

* * *

"Amberpaw seems to be getting better." Seedpaw reported that afternoon.

Jayfeather twitched his ears in acknowledgement. That was good news. Amberpaw had refused to eat for almost an entire moon, only occasionally shoving a mouse down her mouth.

Tuning out Seedpaw's report on how they were getting low on tansy, Jayfeather perked up his ears when Seedpaw mewed, "And, now that I think of it, shouldn't Icecloud be in the nursery by now?"

Jayfeather irritably twitched his ears. _This_ was why he didn't want an apprentice; they always questioned everything.

"Icecloud's kits aren't due for three moons." Jayfeather snapped.

"Jayfeather," Seedpaw murmured gently, "A moon has passed."

Startled, Jayfeather blinked. Had it really been a moon since Halfpaw's death? Everyday, when he woke up, Halfpaw's death was fresh in his mind. And it didn't help matters that _he_ was responsible for her death. If he wasn't so useless, he might not have been kidnapped by Breezepelt and the cat he loved might still be alive.

_This was Halfpaw~Half Moon's second chance, _Jayfeather thought_, would StarClan give her a third? _

_No_. The answer, even though Jayfeather didn't want to face it, was obvious.

_You're a medicine cat, mousebrain!_ Jayfeather snapped at himself. _You aren't _supposed _to take a mate! Isn't this for the better?_

Now Jayfeather knew how Leafpool~his mother~had felt when she had met Crowfeather. Trying to resist was futile.

"Tonight's half moon," Seedpaw continued. "When are we going?"

"You're going near moonhigh." Jayfeather stated flatly. "I have~uh, some things to attend to. It's going to take a long time, so you're going to go by yourself."

There was a pause, and Jayfeather imagined Seedpaw's eyes widening. Then she squealed, "Really? Thanks, Jayfeather!"

"Jayfeather! Icecloud's having cramps!" howled a voice from outside the den. _Probably Mousewhisker, _he thought, _just like his brother. _

"Seedpaw, take care of that." Jayfeather mumbled as he sank into the comfy moss of his nest. The moss was so calming, so warm, so comforting...and soon Jayfeather was plouging his way through the familiar dying forest of StarClan.

A pure white she-cat with brilliant green eyes stood before him.

"Halfpaw." Jayfeather breathed. Jayfeather had always assumed that he would never see Halfpaw again, but here she was, standing before him in StarClan.

Halfpaw purred. "Hello, Jayfeather."

Jayfeather didn't know what to say. For once, Jayfeather of ThunderClan, with the wonderful reputiation of being sharp-tongued, was speechless.

Halfpaw ignored Jayfeather's lack of speech and instead flicked her tail toward a puddle. "Come with me," she mewed.

Confused, Jayfeather did as he was told and followed suite. Halfpaw stopped at the puddle and waited patiently for Jayfeather to arrive. Once he got there, he saw that the puddle did not reflect him and Halfpaw, but a bird's eye-view of the lake. Jayfeather could clearly see the stone hollow of ThunderClan, the marshes and pine trees in ShadowClan, the open moor of WindClan and even the fishy scent that was the sleek, plump, well-fed RiverClan.

"It~wow." Jayfeather breathed. For the second time in his life, he was speechless.

Jayfeather saw Halfpaw surpress a purr, then she dipped her paw in the puddle. It rippled slightly, disorting the image for a moment, then becoming crystal clear again.

Halfpaw's paw didn't seem to hit the dying grass~it just continued, deeper and deeper into the puddle, until Halfpaw's entire paw, leg and shoulder were completely submerged. She quickly pushed the rest of her limbs in the puddle, and disappeared from view.

"Halfpaw?" Jayfeather cried. Now he had regained his sense of speech. "Halfpaw! Where are you?!"

Then Jayfeather noticed something on ThunderClan territory that he hadn't noticed before. Now, there was a pure white she-cat in the territory, close to the shore but still in the forest.

"Halfpaw!" Jayfeather hissed. Now he had to dip his body in the puddle as Halfpaw did. Once he entered completely, he saw a flash of stars while something cold and slimy dripped over him. The sensation was disgusting, and Jayfeather resisted the urge to barf out the mouse and vole he had eaten earlier that day.

When Jayfeather finally landed his paws on familiar ThunderClan territory, he was relieved~not only because he was still dry, but because Halfpaw was standing there, waiting for him.

But for only a moment, because the time Jayfeather had to recover from his horrible experience, Halfpaw had already dashed away, throwing the words, "Follow me!" behind her.

Jayfeather bit back a yowl of frustration, and followed Halfpaw all the way to the shore, where, to his surprise, he saw not one, but _two _Halfpaws standing there. One~the younger looking one with gray-and-white, lay unconscious on the lakeshore, and the second one~the older one with pure white was conscious and stared at him with brilliant green eyes.

"What~how...?" Jayfeather really hated being speechless at this point.

The conscious Halfpaw purred.

"Halfpaw!" Jayfeather protested, "Would you _please_ tell me why there are _two _of you?"

Halfpaw looked at Jayfeather, her brilliant green eyes were serious now, and seemed to bore into him. "I am not Halfpaw in this. I am Half Moon, the ancient she-cat of the mountains, first Stoneteller and Healer of the Tribe of Rushing Water."

"But~but you were reborn!" Jayfeather protested. "You were supposed to be in Halfpaw's white-and-gray body...but you're not."

"Exactly." Half Moon's eyes glowed. "So I am Half Moon."

"But...how?"

Half Moon sighed. "Enough questions. I need you to see if Halfpaw is still alive. She is here, in this exact spot. In fact, we're standing here in actuality."

Jayfeather's mind was whirling. "How?" he demanded.

Half Moon sighed again. A tiring sound. "Let's put it this way. Say I am a spirit. Each spirit must need a shell~or a body, whichever one you prefer~to control to actually have contact with other shells containing spirits. Shells themselves are living, though they have no consciousness. Each shell has its lifespan, and during that lifespan spirits may live in them, though when the lifespan runs out, the shell dies, and the spirit goes to StarClan.

"Sometimes spirits can leave shells. But only some. That is how medicine cats are able to communicate with StarClan~they leave their shells and literally go there. That is _also_ why medicine cats are chosen specifically. But sometimes, shells are damaged, and the spirit suffers along with the shell. In your case, Jayfeather, your shell is blind, and so are you, but you are able to see in dreams and now because you have left your shell. Your spirit is able to see.

"When a shell is very injured~I said _injured_, not damaged~the spirit has to leave the shell for a bit. Sometimes, if the shell doesn't survive, the spirit has to go join StarClan. When the shell _does_ survive, the spirit may return, but sometimes the spirit doesn't know if the shell is alive or not, in my case, anyway. If a spirit enters a shell that is already dead...well, you know what happened to Spottedleaf, right?"

Jayfeather bleakly nodded, trying to asborb all this new information that he had never encountered.

"Spirits are formed along with shells, though sometimes that isn't the case. The spirit must be nurtured with nutrition, and kit shells must be formed by a tom and she-cat shell containing spirits, but sometimes that isn't the case. Sometimes kit shells are born dead, and so was Halfpaw, so Bluestar and Yellowfang decided to give my spirit to her. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I think. So you want me to check if Halfpaw is still alive or not?"'

"Yes."

"Okay."

There was a pause.

"Oh, and Jayfeather, I almost forgot to return your spirit to your shell, which is napping at the moment."

"How do you do that?" Jayfeather asked, puzzled.

"Jayfeather?"

"Yeah?"

"_WAKE UP!" _

Darkness descended on Jayfeather's eyes in a flash, and he felt warm moss under him. The air was crisp and cool, which probably meant it was nighttime, and that Seedpaw had already left for the Moonpool.

Jayfeather eased himself out of his nest, then quickly dashed all the way to the lakeshore(slamming painfully into a few trees in the process...ouch) and tried to locate Halfpaw by simply scent.

_There!_

Halfpaw's scent was smothered in water, though the distinct and familiar scent stuck out from the water. Jayfeather sprinted over and put his paw on Halfpaw's flank, trying to feel for her heartbeat.

_Please, please, please, _he prayed silently. To whom he didn't know, but he definetly knew that even StarClan couldn't help Halfpaw if her heart wasn't beating anymore.

Then he realized it.

His paw was moving.

No, it was not _him_ that was moving it~Jayfeather's paw was perfectly still~which meant, that Halfpaw was...

..._breathing! _Halfpaw was _alive! _Jayfeather almost yowled in joy, but forced himself to be calm and felt the weak but steady heartbeat of Halfpaw.

Another pelt brushed Jayfeather's mottled one. Her scent was familiar as was her voice.

_Thank you. _

Half Moon.

There was a pause, and Jayfeather imagined that Half Moon was entering her 'shell' then picked Halfpaw up by the scruff, whose heart was getting stronger by the moment.

He stumbled through the camp entrance and realized that nearly everyone was asleep. Even the guard(Cloudtail, you lazy bum) was asleep, so, recultantly, Jayfeather put down Halfpaw gently and yowled as hard as he could, "I found her! She's alive! Halfpaw's alive!"

* * *

**Ah well...next chappie coming before 1/28(hopefully)**

**Vote on Amberpaw and Halfpaw's warrior names if you haven't already!**

**-Sky**


	12. Twoleg Nest

**Okay, I know I said that I would probably update in about 10 days, so surprise, surprise! Sorry this chappie is sorta sucky, but it was neccesary**

**R2R:**

**Patty Hillard: You're welcome xD**

**Copperfur: Thanks!**

**Rainclaw99: Yes, yes I am xD **

**Warriors Fan1342: I did!**

**Guest: You'll have to find out**

**The Moonstar9: The last chappie took a loooot of thinking...**

**Disclaimer: Okay, okay, fine. I own nothing but Amberpaw, Halfpaw(sort of) Cinder's Flight, Tiger's Roar, Marshpaw, Heavypaw, Whitekit, Featherkit and Lightningkit. **

* * *

_Amberpaw squealed as a _dark tabby shape roughly pounced on her.

"You!" Tigerstar snarled. She had just returned from the(very pleasant, she might add) walk with Snowpaw, curled up in her nest, and the next thing she knew Tigerstar was raving at her about how love was useless and simply a distraction.

"How...?" Amberpaw protested.

"Because it fills your mind with stupid thoughts," Tigerstar roared. His fury was almost overflowing. "I thought you'd rather be Clan leader than a lazy, stupid nursing queen?"

_You got me, _Amberpaw thought bitterly.

Tigerstar seemed satisfied that Amberpaw didn't protest anymore, and roughly shoved her again to get her senses back.

"Oof!" Amberpaw squeaked, landing on her side.

"I thought you wanted to train?" Tigerstar asked with the hint of a snarl.

Amberpaw attempted to contain her anger, but it came out in a furious hiss. "_Yes_," she spat.

"Today we will be working on battle training," Tigerstar's eyes gleamed. "See if you can knock me off my paws."

Amberpaw was moving even before Tigerstar finished. She striked a paw~claws unsheathed, as Tigerstar always told her~toward his muzzle. Tigerstar quickly dodged it, then nipped at her leg, sending out a spurt of blood.

_Ouch!_ Amberpaw attempted not to yowl in pain as her leg crumpled, paralyzed. Rage filled her as she realized Tigerstar was doing this on purpose.

_You little mangy~_

Gathering on three paws, Amberpaw swiped at the same place she glimpsed where Tigerstar struck on her leg. He snarled in pain, but simply just didn't go down. Amberpaw tried again, first slashing at his throat, and, while Tigerstar backed up, nipped again at his leg.

Tigerstar's leg bent like a bramble. He easily went down and Amberpaw leaped on him, hooking her claws into his flesh and raking her hind claws down his flank.

Tigerstar violently shook Amberpaw off. "Good." he mewed. He seemed satisfied of Amberpaw's display of anger. "Keep it up," he informed her, "And you'll be a warrior in two more moons." Bleakly, Amberpaw remembered that she was now seven moons.

"Get up." Tigerstar snarled. "Never show weakness, to your allies or enemies."

Amberpaw tilted her head, suddenly curious. "Which one are you?" she asked.

Tigerstar curled his lip, flashing sharp teeth. "Neither."

Before Amberpaw could respond, a voice cut into her dream. "She's alive! Halfpaw's alive!"

Amberpaw was quickly wrenched away from the Dark Forest and suddenly the apprentices' den came into view. Snowpaw and Dewpaw shook themselves awake, craining their necks to see what the fuss was about.

A steady stream of warriors flowed out of the warriors' den as Amberpaw crawled out. She widened her eyes in amazement as she saw Jayfeather~drenched in water and sand~holding the scruff of Halfpaw. The familiar gray-and-white shape was too exact to be another cat.

Amberpaw took two steps forward, as if she couldn't really believe what she was seeing, then yowled in joy and made three quick, large bounds over to where Jayfeather was standing. Sure enough, Halfpaw was breathing. Her scent was tinged with saltwater and seaweed, but all Amberpaw cared about at the moment was that Halfpaw was alive, she seemed unharmed, and that _she was alive. _

Halfpaw's eyes cracked open a peep, and Amberpaw could clearly see her brilliant, shining green eyes. "Halfpaw?" Amberpaw whispered, half afraid if even she breathed on Halfpaw she would die.

Halfpaw purred. "Hi, Amberpaw. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Those eight words were the best Amberpaw had heard in a moon.

* * *

Everything ached. Even her tail. Everytime Cinderheart would dare breathe deeply, the scars crossing her pelt would open, she would curse herself for her foolishness, Seedpaw would see her, squeal to Jayfeather, and Jayfeather would enter, muttering things less than pleasant under his breath.

But it didn't happen this time.

Cinderheart's head was getting dizzy from lack of air, and her lungs felt crushed. Thinking, _this is better than the alternitave, _she inhaled deeply, and her head immediately cleared, but something was missing.

Her wounds didn't open under their marigold poultices.

Relief clouded her. As she heard a yowl from Jayfeather, she stumbled to her paws and forced herself to move toward the entrance to the medicine cat's den. Once she got out, she felt her sensitive pads get cut by the jagged rock of the stone hollow, and she staggered, knowing she left a trail of blood on every step she took.

She glimpsed a flash of tortoiseshell and golden fur, and suddenly Sorreltail, Brackenfur and Lionblaze were at her side. Feeling her family and mate support her, Cinderheart kept trudging onward until she reached Jayfeather, who carried Halfpaw in his mouth. Amberpaw was next to him, whispering to Halfpaw, who was enthusiastically replying to her littermate.

Cinderheart couldn't help but purr. The sullen, sulky Amberpaw~that looked old enough to be Clan leader and had an air of confidence that often made Cinderheart feel inferior~looked like an apprentice of her age again, with their kit-like attitudes, and soft, fluffy faces.

But soon enough, Amberpaw's face hardened. "Where in the name of StarClan have~"

Surpressing a purr of amusement, Cinderheart looked at Lionblaze, who seemed to be doing the same thing. "Poor Halfpaw," he murmured.

"We all know that Amberpaw's tongue can be as sharp as her claws," Sorreltail added, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

Jayfeather padded over to Cinderheart, giving her a sniff. "It seems as if your wounds have _finally_ closed," he began, and somehow he was able to make the word 'finally' sound like 'eternity'. "So I guess it's okay for you to sleep in the warriors' den today. Besides," he added, "Halfpaw has some minor scrapes, so I'll see to that."

Lionblaze narrowed his eyes. "Jayfeather," he began in a warning tone.

"Hmm? What's that? Oh, sorry Lionblaze, I think I heard a tree needing some coltsfoot." Jayfeather dashed away.

Cinderheart snorted, "Fine brother you've got there," she teased.

Lionblaze muttered something not quite pleasant under his breath, then pulled Cinderheart behind the warriors' den.

"Oof! What's _that _all about?" Cinderheart scowled, suddenly annoyed by Lionblaze's sudden change of mood.

"You were talking in your sleep." Lionblaze stated.

Cinderheart's eyes widened. "I was?" she asked.

"Yes. Did you meet some cat from StarClan or something?"

Cinderheart was quiet.

"Then you must know about the Prophecy of Seven," Lionblaze took Cinderheart's silence as a 'yes'.

"I do," Cinderheart mewed softly. "Cinderpelt told me that I was the Sixth of the Seven."

"Mind telling me your power?"

Cinderheart took a deep breath. "I can fly."

Lionblaze's eyes widened and he accidently...er, he had an accident.

"Lionblaze!" Cinderheart protested playfully, but secretly she was amused.

Lionblaze shook his head. "Okay, I just needed to confirm it. I'll go tell Jayfeather and Dovewing." he promptly shook himself and padded out from behind the warriors' den.

"And here I am, covered in chewed-up marigold and right beside a wet spot." Cinderheart muttered.

* * *

"This is a _much_ better place," claimed Dovewing the moment all six of them entered. The air inside the old, broken down Twoleg nest was musty, if not a little but spooky.

"But seriously, it seems like the top is going to collapse on us at any moment." Lionblaze complained.

"Well, since behind the warriors' den is too small for us, and you gave us a little...wet spot, we can only use this," Cinderheart teased.

Tigerheart snorted with amusement.

"So?" Halfpaw asked, cutting through the silence. "What are we talking about, that's so important that a _ShadowClan_ cat had to come over to ThunderClan territory?" she asked.

"Well, it's been a moon since Cinderheart's recieved her sign," Jayfeather mewed, "and we can't seem to find any special cat with any special talents."

"So should we go with just six?" Tigerheart asked hesitantly.

"_No!" _Jayfeather snapped. "It clearly says '_Seven_ shall journey to the roots of the Four'!"

"They didn't mention any of The Seven," Tigerheart retorted, "Just _seven_. It could be any seven cats."

"I guess we'll have to find the Seven on the way to the journey back to the old forest then." Lionblaze muttered.

"And what in StarClan are you talking about?" asked a voice from the shadows.

Dovewing mentally hit herself. How could she have been so foolish not to cast out her hearing and see if any cat was coming?

Dovewing watched in astonishment as a slender pale brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and white paws stepped out from the corner of the old, broken down Twoleg nest.

"_Leafpool_?" Lionblaze exclaimed incredelously.

Leafpool's amber eyes swept over all of them, and stopped on Tigerheart. "And what exactly are you doing?" she pressed on, ignoring Lionblaze's outburst.

"Nothing that you need to know," Jayfeather snapped. He turned to Cinderheart and Tigerheart. "Please tell me one of you has the ability to wipe memories," he begged.

Tigerheart shrugged and Cinderheart shook her head.

Jayfeather sighed. "Perfect. Just _perfect_." he glared at Leafpool. "Don't tell anyone."

"I'll tell every single cat in the Clan that you all are meeting with a ShadowClan cat if you don't tell me what's going on!" Leafpool threatened.

Recultantly, Jayfeather gave the same story he gave Bramblestar, except for the fact that he finished up with, "Now, go."

Leafpool's eyes were wide with surprise. "And now you're planning on going?"

"Yes," Jayfeather mewed curtly.

"All the way back to the old forest?"

"Yes!"

"Then I'm going along with you."

A jolt of shock rippled throughout all six cats as their eyes widened and Dovewing heard someone gasp with surprise.

"Leafpool?" Halfpaw began hesitantly, "would it really be a good idea? Because Jayfeather's leaving and someone needs to mentor Seedpaw..."

"I'll get Bramblestar to get Mothwing to mentor her." Leafpool mewed firmly. "RiverClan has two medicine cats, so they can spare one for a few more moons."

"Then the Seven is completed." Dovewing mewed abruptly. Six pairs of eyes locked on her, and Dovewing felt her ears flush self-consciously, but she continued. "If Leafpool is going with us, then there will be seven. We can start the journey."

* * *

**Yay! Finally! The journey begins! And could y'all repeat your votes for Amberpaw and Halfpaw's warrior names? I really need them!**

**-Sky**


	13. Deputy

**Hallo! I have a lot in store for yu guys, so enjoy!**

**Very Special Note: OMG GUYS! I almost fainted when I saw the number of reviews this fic has got: A WHOOPING 79! I'm shocked at how popular this story has got, even if it's between guests and my loyal reviews(I 3 yu guys, yu know who yu are). So here's a bit of my ambition. If you guys raise the number of reviews to 100...well, I'm going to post a sequel, so I promise if I get 100 I won't get a drag on the sequel(this is going to be a trilogy)**

**okay now R2R:**

**Tonto1: Thank yu**

**Tonto2: YEAH! I'M AWESOME! I also want them to have kits, but I'm not sure how I can fit that in the story plot. I'm also DYING for Lionblaze and Cinderheart to have kits.**

**Lilysplash: The Seventh still hasn't been found, Leafpool is just a substitution. The Seventh cat will be a certain cat...that you will never be able to guess(I dare you! Seriously!)**

**Patty Hillard: Thanx, and awwwww! Poor kitty...may she rest in StarClan. Okay, since you just told me your cat died, I'll honor him/her by adding him/her to my story! Though I might choose the name(and simplify her description... . soooo much words...)**

**xScarclawx: Oh yeah...that...might not start so soon...**

**Rainclaw99: Wait~if I strangle all my followers, I won't have any reviews. Darn it...**

**The Moonstar9: Aha, I try to enter humour in my story, although sometimes it's just stupid...**

**Disclaimer: FINE! I GIVE! I DO NOT OWN WARRIORS: THE ERIN HUNTERS DO! HAPPY? *runs away sobbing***

* * *

_The traveling herbs _tasted revolting.

Halfpaw knew she should have realized that a combonation of burnet, charmonile, daisy and sorrel wouldn't have been pleasant, but after many, many, many, _many_ moons of her life as a Healer of the Tribe of Rushing Water she had forgotten a lot of things(even if Jay's Wing reawakened her memories).

Beside her, four cats gagged on the herbs in alike ways. Lionblaze clutching his throat with golden paws, Dovewing looking as if she was going to regurgitate the herbs, Cinderheart attempting not to yowl in disgust and Leafpool furiously lapping up water to get rid of the taste.

_I wonder what we're going to do with Tigerheart? _Halfpaw wondered. _I'm not marching through ShadowClan territory just to get him!_

Finally finished the disgusting herbs, Halfpaw rocked back and forth on her paws, swaying to the wind. She absentmindedly started studying a bug.

"Hey, Halfpaw!"

Halfpaw jerked her head up to see Lionblaze. The golden tom was making his way over to her, also finished the herbs.

"I thought I would teach you a few battle moves," Lionblaze explained. "It would do you some good on the journey."

Halfpaw gave him a curt nod.

"Okay," Lionblaze began. "I'm going to show you the leap-and-hold..."

* * *

The frog didn't suspect a thing.

Tigerheart easily navigated the squashy marshes of his home territory, and quickly scuttled to the side when the wind changed direction.

Good, the wind was blowing the frog's scent to him now. Covered by a few pine trees, Tigerheart slowly put one paw in front of another...then leaped. He soared through the air, and easily killed the frog in one bite.

"Hey, Tigerheart! Great catch!" praised Redwillow, coming out behind the trees.

Tigerheart gave him a nod as two more cats, Heavypaw and Scorchfur, padded out. He was leading the hunting patrol, a thing granted to him much too often, as the son of the deputy.

Heavypaw irritably shook his large paw, drenched in marsh. "I don't know why we had to hunt here," he grumbled.

"We hunted here because prey is plentiful here," Tigerheart mewed, resisting giving his apprentice a good cuff around the ear. _And it's close to Dovewing, _he added silently.

"Tigerheart!"

Tigerheart watched, startled, as Heavypaw's littermate, Marshpaw, burst through the trees. He had a scrape on one side and his eye was swollen shut.

"Marshpaw!" Tigerheart exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Met~two~badgers~very~angry~have~young~Rowanclaw~wants~reinforce..." rasped Marshpaw.

Tigerheart nodded. He wasn't quite sure what Marshpaw just said, but one thing was clear. Rowanclaw's patrol needed help.

Tigerheart flicked his tail to beckon the rest of his patrol. "Come on!" He dashed through the trees, aware that four more cats were following him. Tigerheart skidded to a stop as he saw the badgers.

The male was huge. He roared and ripped through the hoard of cats like a tornado. The female circled her young, snapping and slashing if any cat got too close.

The three cats were having trouble fending off the vicious badgers. The patrol consisted of Rowanclaw, Starlingwing, Toadfoot and probably Marshpaw.

"Attack!" Tigerheart yowled, flinging himself on the male. He raked his claws over his face and ripped his hind legs over the badger's flank. The badger yowled and dropped to the side, while cats scrambled away in alarm to avoid getting crushed.

"_Mrrrpp!" _Tigerheart winced in pain as black spots danced along his vision. The male had crushed him, and he hoped that he hadn't broken any bones.

Tigerheart wriggled out from under the badger and he was suddenly flying across the clearing, dealt a blow from the female badger. He staggered to his paws and widened his eyes at the scene in front of him: Marshpaw was trapped under the male badger's enormous paws. The badger snarled and snapped at the rest of the cats, and rested his claws close to Marshpaw's throat. Even though it's snarls and snaps were indistinguishable, the message was clear. _Leave or I'll kill this cat. _

The seven cats watched as the badger slowly dug his claws in Marshpaw, and Marshpaw howled and writhed in pain under him.

Rowanclaw slowly exhaled. "Heavypaw, I want you to go back to camp and get Tawnypelt."

"Wh~"

"Just do it," Rowanclaw interupted sharply.

Heavypaw sighed dramatically and dashed away.

Rowanclaw continued in his quiet but firm orders. "Marshpaw, I want you to squeeze your eyes shut, and don't open them no matter what."

Marshpaw blinked confused, coughed up some blood, then nodded, shutting his eyes tight.

Rowanclaw was in the air in an instant, claws outstretched and he pummeled into the male badger, who toppeled over in a howl. Rowanclaw striked the badger across the throat, and the male fell, his blood splattering the ground in an arc.

The female howled and nudged her mate, but the badger was gone. The female whipped around and snarled, before pushing her cubs away and running along with them.

Marshpaw cracked open an eye. "Can I open them ye~" he broke off in horror. Rowanclaw slowly turned around, and collapsed. The badger had done irrepairable damage; he had crushed Rowanclaw's throat.

Just then, Heavypaw and Tawnypelt arrived. Tawnypelt's eyes widened at the sight of her mate.

"Rowanclaw!" she hissed, suddenly blinking furiously. "You..._mousebrain!_ I'm getting Littlecloud right~right..." She crumpled beside her mate and brushed her pelt against him. "Why?" she whispered, her voice cracking.

Rowanclaw coughed, his blood bright red against the ground. Dust swirled up and covered him.

"I couldn't let Marshpaw die..." Rowanclaw murmured.

Tawnypelt pressed against him again. "M~mousebrain..." she mumbled against him, her body already wracked with sobs.

"I'm sorry." Rowanclaw rasped.

Toadfoot stood up. "But we need to get Littlecloud..." his voice trailed off. Rowanclaw took one last shuddering breath, then was still.

Tawnypelt buried her nose in Rowanclaw's fur.

Tigerheart gently nudged his mother. "Come on," he mewed. "Let's get back to camp."

* * *

Back at ShadowClan camp, the camp seemed to radiate sorrow as they mourned Rowanclaw.

"Hey, Tigerheart!" Tigerheart blinked as Olivenose rushed over to him. Tigerheart waited until she had reached him, then mewed, "Yeah?"

Olivenose suddenly seemed shy. "I~er...well, I was just wondering if you were hurt after fighting that battle. You have a lot of...erm...nasty scratches." she mumbled.

Tigerheart was completely confused. "What? Oh...well, shouldn't a medicine cat take care of that? Maybe Littlecloud? And anyway, why are you so concerned about my scratches? Do you want to be a medicine cat?"

Olivenose squeaked, "No~no! Not at all!" she rapidly scurried away.

Tigerheart shook his head. "She-cats. They never make sense."

"Tigerheart?" That was Toadfoot, making his way over to him. Dawnpelt walked along with him, her cream-colored fur mingling with his dark brown. His eyes were alight with laughter.

"Tigerheart! I seriously can't believe you just did that! Listen to me: Are. You. _Blind?_" Toadfoot began. "I mean, really! Asking Olivenose right to her face if she wanted to be a medicine cat, when she's clearly mooning over you!"

Tigerheart blinked. "Really?" he asked. "Olivenose? And me?"

"Of course." he snorted. "Apparently there are a few toms in ShadowClan who can't see further than the tip of their nose!"

Tigerheart rolled his eyes. "No need to drag it out, Toadfoot."

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Blackstar unexpectedly yowled.

The chattering swarm of cats quickly gathered under Blackstar. Dimly, Tigerheart realized that it was moonhigh.

Tigerheart blinked. Wait, it was _moonhigh? _Blackstar needed to choose a deputy. Then he shook his head, scorning himself for his foolishness. _Of course!_ Blackstar was going to name his deputy now. Tigerheart's eyes traveled to Tawnypelt.

_No, _Tigerheart thought. _I don't think he fully trusts Tawnypelt, anyway. _

His gaze then traveled to Toadfoot. _Toadfoot's a good mentor to Burnetpaw. Maybe _he'll _be deputy. _Tigerheart felt a rush of confidence. _Yes; it's definetly going to be Toadfoot. _

"I say these words before the body of Rowanclaw, so that his spirit in StarClan may hear and approve of my choice." Blackstar cut straight to the chase. "The new deputy, of ShadowClan will be..."

All eyes seemed to be drifting over to Toadfoot, which only boosted Tigerheart's confidence. Every cat seemed to be hanging on each word, and Blackstar's words seemed to go in slow motion.

"...will be..."

Tigerheart held his breath. Here it was! The future of ShadowClan lay in the next words that Blackstar said.

Then he heard the name, and his heart sunk. No! No! That wasn't the cat he was expecting! Because, the name that Blackstar said wasn't 'Toadfoot'.

It was 'Tigerheart'.

* * *

**Ooohhh! Cliffie! Oh, yeah, and I gathered all yur votes. The poll thingamajig is closed, and I have their warrior names. Not tellin'! So just review, and go on with yur lives!**

**P.S You can submit kit ideas for any couple, but I might mix them up a bit..**

**-Sky**


	14. Exiled

**Yay! New chappie! Okay, this chappie is going to be really looooooooooooooooooooong so deal with it! I know this might be boring but you just have to wait because the next chappie will be much better!**

**Sorry, wayyy to lazy to answer reviews right now, because this chappie is long enough as it is and I don't want to give y'all headaches.**

**Disclaimer: I swear, if you make me say that I don't own Warriors one more time, I'm gonna scream.**

* * *

"_So, let me get _this straight~you had to act heroic and stuff and now you're stuck as ShadowClan deputy, where we can't get you for the journey?" Dovewing asked dryly. "Jayfeather's going to be furious when he finds out; his traveling herbs will have been wasted."

"Forget Jayfeather," Tigerheart muttered, "what will happen _now_? I can't leave ShadowClan, I can't..." he gazed at Dovewing, "Well, you know what I can't do."

Dovewing's ears perked up. "Wait!" she mewed, "Blackstar knows about the Prophecy of Three. Maybe if we explain it to him~"

"_~no." _Tigerheart mewed sharply, then his voice softened. "I'm sorry, Dovewing, but I don't want him finding out about our secret meetings."

"And you have a good reason, too."

Tigerheart's heart dropped the moment he heard the third voice. He watched in horror as Ratscar emerged from behind a pine tree~the wind had been blowing Tigerheart downwind, which meant that he couldn't scent Ratscar.

"Ratscar?" Dovewing's eyes widened. "Erm...Ratscar, I can explain," she began desperately, but Ratscar cut her off.

"Oh, I know _exactly_ what you're doing," Ratscar snarled, his claws already sliding out. "You, Tigerheart, are meeting with the enemy." he raked his claws in the ground, making deep scratch marks. "What will Blackstar make of this, I wonder?" he mused.

"Okay, Ratscar, I know you want something from me," Tigerheart attempted. "What do you want?"

"Olivenose," Ratscar snarled. "It's obvious you're going to break her heart with this...this..." Ratscar seemed to be struggling for words. "This mange-pelt." he finally finished.

Dovewing bristled, but Tigerheart lay his tail-tip on her shoulder to calm her down. "Wait," he whispered.

"Oh, or maybe I can tell _Dawnpelt _that her brother is a traitor to ShadowClan." Ratscar played with the tip of his tail, making Tigerheart earn a feeling of impatience.

"You can't tell Dawnpelt." Tigerheart snapped. "It'll make her even more..." he searched for words to describe Dawnpelt's condition. "More unstable." he finished lamely.

Ratscar snorted.

"Then I suppose I'll go with the first one," Ratscar purred in a silky tone that made Tigerheart remember that he was once a Dark Forest warrior. _And a true one, _he thought grudgingly. _He was so willing to kill._

Tigerheart rapidly scanned his memory for something~anything, really. Well, anything that might somehow wipe Ratscar's memory and send him back to his nest. Of course, nothing came to mind when he searched that, but he quite certainely remembered a tactic Tigerstar had taught specifically for him.

"Ratscar, you won't be able to do that," Tigerheart purred, attempting(and failing, no doubt) to imitate the silky tone his namesake had always been able to replicate.

Ratscar's confidence was unfaltering. "Oh? And why is that?"

"It will be your word against mine. I can lie just as well as you can. Don't forget, I'm also the deputy. Challenging some cat facing odds like that is an act of a fool." _Wise words, wise words, _Tigerheart reminded himself. He ignored the fact that Dovewing was staring at him with surprise and~was he imagining it?~possibly awe.

Ratscar laughed. A chilling sound, in the ears of Tigerheart. "Oh, foolish warrior. Blinded by your pride at being deputy. Take a sniff around you."

And then the rest of ShadowClan emerged around them.

* * *

She got so close.

She got so close to bare fur, so close to feeling the sensation of slicing her claws through flesh, so close to seeing the satisfying ooze of blood around her.

"Dang it, Hawkfrost!" Amberpaw snarled. His ice-blue eyes seemed taunting as he dodged yet another paw-strike.

Tigerstar had introduced her to many of his Dark Forest companions. Amberpaw automatically detested Hawkfrost and Brokenstar, but she sort of liked the shady tortoiseshell she-cat, Mapleshade and the ragged Snowtuft. His pink scars, though, stretching all over his white fur made him seem like a weakling.

Hawkfrost dropped on all fours and lashed out at Amberpaw's front leg, which crumpled easily, also sending a glittering arc of blood flying and splattering Hawkfrost's muzzle.

Amberpaw growled. "A coward's move," she taunted, attempting to enrage him.

Hawkfrost showed no emotion, only smirked at her, possibly knowing it would infuriate the apprentice even more.

Amberpaw snarled with fury and rolled under him, slashing at the soft, exposed belly. _Finally! _The taste of salty blood in her mouth, and the sensation of ripping flesh were intoxicating. Hawkfrost roared in pain and pushed his weight on Amberpaw, squashing the breath out of her.

"And that is enough!" Tigerstar snarled, pushing himself to his paws. "Amberpaw, you will have to work on your battle skills. A weakling like you couldn't possibly survive a battle. A _real_ battle, anyway," he sneered, "Not like the ones the Clans use, bound so tightly by their precious _warrior code_."

Amberpaw hung her head. Nearby she heard Brokenstar and Hawkfrost snickering. She made a mental note to tear them apart with her bare claws the next time she had an open moment.

Tigerstar scowled. "You have disappointed me, Amberpaw, though I see your true self has begun to blossom." Earlier that day, Amberpaw had snapped at Jayfeather simply because he was blocking the fresh-kill pile, yelled at Purdy when he told her she was going too slow with the moss, and almost ripped Dovewing to shreds in a training session because she told her that 'claws are only used for battles, not Clanmates'. As if that could be a good idea! Only training with claws brought true strength. ThunderClan's power had been dulled by that. Amberpaw would make sure to polish it when she became leader.

"You must wake up now," Tigerstar ordered. With a sigh of longing to the violence she had experienced and had grown used to in the night, Amberpaw disappeared from the Dark Forest in a flash, waking up in her nest with a cut on her leg.

"Amberpaw?" a white shape stirred beside her until she saw Snowpaw push himself up. He propped himself into a sitting position. When Amberpaw looked out the apprentices' den, she almost roared with fury. It wasn't even dawn yet! She was sent back to the living world early! Amberpaw almost ignored Snowpaw to push herself back asleep to go back to the Dark Forest, but she was caught by those amber eyes and she locked eyes with him.

"Well, you're early, aren't you?" Snowpaw mewed softly. Beside them, Dewpaw and Halfpaw slept soundly.

"I had a dream that woke me up." Amberpaw half-lied. Snowpaw always seemed to bring out the goody-goody in her, and now, in this state, Amberpaw almost shuddered at how vicious she had been the day before and during the night. _I've become a monster!_ She realized with horror. She almost hung her head in shame.

"Must've been some dream." Amberpaw heard the suspicion in Snowpaw's voice, and she felt a pang of regret.

"Yeah." she whispered. _You have no idea, _she thought inwardly.

"And you have another injury," Snowpaw continued, narrowing his amber eyes. The act of suspicion from Snowpaw almost tore Amberpaw apart.

"Yes. It seems so." Amberpaw's mew was simply small bursts of air now.

"Huh." Snowpaw's amber eyes practically _glowed_ with distrust. "Ever thought maybe I'd like to know what's going on other than continuously covering you with brambles and thorns?"

_More than you would ever think of. _The words appeared in Amberpaw's mind, but she didn't have the heart to say them aloud.

Snowpaw's gleaming amber eyes seemed to slice through her. There was no doubt that this cat was Cloudtail's son.

Amberpaw bit her lip. How badly had she wished to tell Snowpaw about her Clan heritage? That she was half-ThunderClan and half-RiverClan? No, wait, Mothwing's father was Tigerstar, and mother was Sasha, a rogue. Make that half-ThunderClan and half-_rogue_. Not to mention he would most likely tell Dewpaw, who would tell the rest of the Clan. Then she would be continuously monitored, distrusted by the entire Clan. No, Amberpaw was going to go with option two.

Promise.

"Umm, well, you see, there's something I have to tell you," Amberpaw began. And it poured out, the terror at finding out who her parentage was, but left out the part for revenge and the Dark Forest. She excused the cuts and scrapes by restlessly rolling around in the moss and kicking the ferns that surrounded the apprentices' den. When she was finished, she felt relief when Snowpaw's amber eyes now no longer showed distrust, but surprise and understanding.

"Please don't tell," Amberpaw begged under her breath.

To her surprise, Snowpaw nodded. "I~I can sort of understand what you've been through. Cloudtail~well, he felt excluded before he met Brightheart because he had kittypet blood."

Quietly, Amberpaw nodded, too relieved to speak. But she froze in shock as her ears picked up something from Halfpaw, that was sleeping in the nest beside her.

"Jayfeather, I love you..."

* * *

"I can't believe this," Blackstar fumed. They were back at ShadowClan camp now, and Dovewing shrunk from all the hostile glares she was given.

"Son of a loyal deputy, and he goes on and blabs all our secrets to some mangy-pelted she-cat of...what? _ThunderClan_?" Blackstar was grumbling and raving now.

"He didn't!" Dovewing squeaked, terrified by those enormous black paws. "He didn't tell me a single thing!"

"Even if he didn't tell you, he still has broken the warrior code by meeting up with a cat from another Clan," came a stern voice. Dovewing recognized the dark brown tabby from their journey that happened in the middle of the drought, scarcely a moon after she had been made an apprentice.

_Toadfoot, _she thought.

"Yes, Toadfoot's right." Blackstar murmured, then his head snapped up, yellow eyes blazing.

"Toadfoot," Blackstar mewed, voice tight, "what in the damned Dark Forest are you doing in my den?"

Toadfoot widened his eyes and dashed away.

_Wise, _Dovewing snorted.

"And now, Tigerheart, can you explain yourself?" Blackstar snarled.

"Yes," Tigerheart lifted his chin. "I can. I am loyal to ShadowClan, but I love this ThunderClan cat with all my heart. Banish me from ShadowClan if you want, but she is my life, and I cannot live without her."

Dovewing's eyes widened along with Blackstar's. _Does he really love me that much? _She wondered. The sincerity in his eyes almost made her feel guilty of choosing Bumblestripe as a mate.

After he had gotten over his shock of Tigerheart's confession, Blackstar narrowed his eyes coldly. "Well, perhaps if you wish to be with her, you can."

Tigerheart blinked in confusion. "I can?"

Blackstar's eyes were like chips of ice. "Of course. You can go anywhere you wish to, because I hereby declare you exile of ShadowClan. You can frolick over to ThunderClan now, if you wish." The chips of ice did not melt. "You can do anything you want now. At dawn, you will no longer be considered a Clanmate by ShadowClan. Get out of here before I order my _loyal _warriors to tear you two apart."

The two warriors got the message and tripped over their own paws in haste to get back to ThunderClan.

* * *

Lionblaze awoke to be greeted by whispers in the apprentices' den and pawsteps, precautiously close to the camp entrance. Lionblaze felt his fur bristle, until it fell back in surprise as he saw Dovewing and Tigerheart enter.

Slowly, as to not disturb his fellow warriors(and to keep his tail on), he trotted out into the clearing.

"Dovewing? _Tigerheart? _What are you two doing here?" Lionblaze questioned.

Tigerheart looked embarrassed. "Well, I sorta got exiled from ShadowClan..."

"...so he's come to join ThunderClan." Dovewing finished.

"If you'll have me," Tigerheart added nervously.

"I...suppose so, though I'll have to talk to Bramblestar and Graystripe, just in case." Lionblaze eyed the former ShadowClan warrior, eager to prove his worth to ThunderClan and felt a purr rising up in him. Such eagerness would be quickly accepted. Now the only problem was how he could explain it to the Clan.

"Tigerheart, come with me," Lionblaze ordered. "Dovewing, go back to your nest. I'll take care of this." and instintively cringed. How was he supposed to explain this to Bramblestar?

Lionblaze shook away his doubts as he padded into Bramblestar's den. The dark brown tabby tom was fast asleep, and Lionblaze wondered if it was a good idea to wake his leader up before dawn.

Luckily for him, Bramblestar stirred and slowly got up. There was surprise in his amber eyes as they flicked from first Lionblaze to Tigerheart.

"Bramblestar," Lionblaze greeted his leader with a polite dip of his head. "Tigerheart here has been exiled from ShadowClan, and he wishes to join ThunderClan, instead of living on like a rogue. Furthermore, he is part of the Seven, and we wish to journey right away."

Tigerheart's eyes widened as Lionblaze mentioned 'the Seven' and was opening his mouth when Lionblaze slapped his tail over his jaws and got a mouthful of fur.

"Calm down," Lionblaze hissed. "Bramblestar knows about the prophecies."

"That I do," Bramblestar muttered. His amber eyes were thoughtful and they locked on Tigerheart. "Considering the circumstances, I'll tell the Clan the news of Tigerheart's exile and joining, then tell them that you seven have been sent out to look for...something and will not be coming back for a while." Bramblestar sighed. "Sometimes I think it might be easier if we just tell them the truth."

Lionblaze shook his head. "We can't do that. Not yet, anyway. What if the Dark Forest is defeated before they could rise? Then we would have saved the Clans from terror and fear. Many had witnessed the last battle, remember, they will not be so eager to find out it is happening again."

Bramblestar nodded. "You are right. Go wake up the rest of the five, and I will assign a temporary mentor for Amberpaw. You may leave now."

When the two toms left Bramblestar's den, Tigerheart exhaled. "Phew! That was easier than I expected."

Lionblaze nodded in agreement. "Okay, you wake up Halfpaw, Jayfeather and Leafpool. I'll get the rest." privately, Lionblaze felt sorry for the tom for making him wake Jayfeather. His littermate could be incredibly cranky once he first woke up.

Lionblaze gently trotted back into the warriors' den. "Dovewing," he whispered softly. "Cinderheart. Wake up."

The two she-cats groaned and stirred. "Yes?" mumbled Cinderheart, still half-asleep.

"We're leaving." he announced solemnly. Those two words seemed to instantly wake the two she-cats up and they pushed themselves to their paws.

Outside, an outraged and angry yowl was quickly shushed, and Lionblaze stifled a laugh. _Jayfeather. _

Lionblaze saw Tigerheart(with clawmarks on him, no doubt) beside a ruffled Halfpaw, a half-awake Leafpool and a bedraggled Jayfeather standing beside them.

"Next time," Tigerheart grumbled to him as the seven of them left ThunderClan, "you wake Jayfeather up."

Lionblaze snorted in amusement as he padded into the fading starlight.

* * *

**Yeah! So review! I really don't have anything to say but submit your kit ideas because I'm really running out of them! Thanx to Patty Hillard, xScarclawx and Rainclaw99 for your kits! Though I might mess them up a bit or switch their names or descriptions...**

**-Sky**


	15. Journey Begins

**Hey guys! I loveeee your reviews! I mean, 98? Really? I'm so happy I almost did a tap dance!(and I can't tap dance... xP)**

**Okay, so this chappie about as long as the last chappie was, so I will not be replying to reviews, and note: I've got Halfpaw's warrior name, but not Amberpaw's. I made a new poll on my profile page, so you can check that out and vote!**

**Disclaimer: I'm in a big hurry right now so I'm just going to say that I don't own Warriors...*sobs***

* * *

"_Where~huff!_~are~puff!~we~huff!~going?" panted Halfpaw as she struggled to keep up with the rest of the group on her tiny legs.

"To the old forest." was Lionblaze's short reply. "We're lucky that Leafpool knows where it is."

Leafpool glanced at Lionblaze with hope shining in her eyes, but it quickly disappeared as she realized Lionblaze didn't actually want her here; she was just neccesary to reach their goal. _What happened between them? _Halfpaw wondered.

Jayfeather sniffed. "Tell me why we had to go on _WindClan _territory? Wouldn't ShadowClan and RiverClan be easier?"

"Easy for you to say," scoffed Tigerheart. "You aren't treated like a complete traitor by your own kin." his eyes widened and he slapped his tail over his mouth as Jayfeather growled. "Sorry," he squeaked.

"We'll also need to stop by at RiverClan," Leafpool stated flatly. "I need to get Mothwing to mentor Seedpaw, or have you forgotten?"

"No need," Jayfeather mewed brusquely. "Seedflower's already gotten her full medicine cat name."

"When?" Halfpaw questioned. "You skipped the last half-moon meeting at the Moonpool."

"The night before yesterday. You didn't think I was going to leave ThunderClan alone with no full medicine cat, did you?"

Silence.

Jayfeather scowled. "Nice of you to place your trust in me," he muttered sarcastically.

Dawn was coming now. The pale golden rays illuminated Halfpaw's gray fur and tinted her white fur gold. She stopped for a moment and closed her eyes, letting herself bask in the warmth of the sunlight for a second, even if it was edged with a hint of coldness. Late greenleaf was giving way to leaf-bare, and Halfpaw realized that it would be the first leaf-bare of her second life.

"Halfpaw? Halfpaw! We've got company." Halfpaw heard Dovewing yowl. Halfpaw whipped around and cursed. _Fox dung! It's dawn! WindClan's dawn patrol will be coming now! _

It was too late. A WindClan patrol was rapidly coming over to them. Though Halfpaw was roughly as large as one of their wiry apprentices, she knew about their unmatched swiftness and speed.

Halfpaw squinted as she tried to recognize their faces. _That pretty brown tabby is Heathertail...along with Furzepelt, the gray-and-white she-cat, I'm thinking. Then there's also Boulderfur...that enourmous gray tom, and Harespring and Weaselfur. Uh-oh...they all look hostile... _

"ThunderClan." Weaselfur greeted coldly. "How..._unusual _to meet you here. Care to explain why you're on our territory?"

Lionblaze bristled, then snapped, "This is not your territory, Weaselfur. We are travelling three tail-lengths from the shore, just as the old leaders agreed. Your scent markers end in front of us."

"It's nice to know where our neighbours are going, though don't linger. We won't put it above ThunderClan to try to make a raid on our territory." Heathertail spoke up. Her blue eyes were unreadable, and Halfpaw poked into her mind, and was startled by the rush of love in her mind.

_Breezepelt's gone...he betrayed me, there's only Lionblaze left. And I know he doesn't love me anymore, though I still do. But he's got a mate...I wonder what he thinks of me? Whatever happens, I wish he knew my feelings..._

Heathertail's eyes suddenly widened as if she knew about Halfpaw's presence in her mind and her eyes darted toward Halfpaw, who shrunk, thinking she'd been caught.

Heathertail blinked at Halfpaw, nodded, then turned to her Clanmates. "Let these fleabags go. There's no reason not to let them cross, and they're not worth the trouble. Ashstar won't appreciate us wasting time."

_What just happened?_

The rest of the patrol murmured their agreement and parted as Cinderheart breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank StarClan they didn't stop us," Cinderheart meowed. "I don't know what we'd do if they saw Tigerheart."

Halfpaw realized that the rest of the six cats had shoved Tigerheart under Lionblaze, who was the largest. Jayfeather and Leafpool also made sure he couldn't be seen. They parted, revealing Tigerheart's dark brown tabby shape.

"_Mrrp!_" Tigerheart grumbled. "If you shove me like that one more time, I'll...I'll~"

"You'll do something bad. Okay, got that, let's go." Jayfeather shot back. Halfpaw stifled a snort of laughter. Jayfeather could be short-tempered at times, that was true.

Leafpool mewed, "Okay, we need to get back on track. When we leave the lake, we'll pass the horseplace. That should take us right about to sunhigh. We need to keep going fast if we want to reach the Tribe of Rushing Water's mountains before sundown."

* * *

Traveling was easy enough, Jayfeather had to say, if it weren't for the rocks that stubbed his paws every step along the way.

As the pebbly shore finally gave way to soft, cool grass, Jayfeather breathed a sigh of relief, but was cut short when he heard the noisy stampeding of horses.

Halfpaw squeaked. "They're _huge_!"

"We won't be traveling _through_ the horseplace." Leafpool explained. "Just going around them."

Reluctantly, the cats shuffled around the horseplace, the loud noise almost destroying Jayfeather's ears.

"I miss Amberpaw already," Jayfeather heard Halfpaw mutter over the stampeding horses. "About now she would~"

"~be complaining about how she wasn't able to go on the journey with you." Jayfeather finished for her. He felt Halfpaw's gaze burning into his pelt, then added self-consciously, "Well, because Bramblestar said he would annouce our...'trip' to the rest of the Clan, right?"

"Only a cover story." Tigerheart mewed beside him. "It's not like we're able to tell them the truth now, anyway."

Suddenly, a disgusting stench filled Jayfeather's nostrils and he recoiled. "Yuck!" he spat. "Thunderpaths smell revolting."

"Why do Twolegs _build _this stuff, anyway?" Jayfeather heard Dovewing give the hard, black surface a prod.

"Get back!" was Leafpool's alarmed snarl. "Didn't you see that monster coming?"

Jayfeather imagined Leafpool snapping at a cowering Dovewing, her ears flat on her skull and green eyes wide. The mere thought of it was enough to make Jayfeather growl and unsheathe his claws.

Lionblaze assumed the role of leadership. "Okay, on 'go', all of us have to run across the Thunderpath, got it?"

There was a pause, then Jayfeather felt the breeze of a monster flying by. Then Lionblaze yowled, "Go!"

Jayfeather's paws hit the Thunderpath before Lionblaze was even finished yowling. He dashed across it and easily made it to the soft springy grass.

"Halfpaw! Hurry up!" Dovewing screamed. "That monster's going to~"

Though he was blind, Jayfeather imagined the monster hitting Halfpaw perfectly.

* * *

"She just arrives back, and she leaves again." Amberpaw grumbled. Only a few moments after Bramblestar had announced the group's departure, yowls of frustration and disbelief had rang through the hollow.

Now, it was quiet, and Graystripe had organized the patrols. Her new mentor was Spiderleg(much to her dismay. She was hoping to get a better mentor, like Brackenfur for example), who had wrenched his leg earlier and was resting in the medicine cat's den. Seedflower had said that he would be alright in a few days, which left Amberpaw alone.

Both Snowpaw and Dewpaw were out hunting, which stuck _her _to taking care of the elders(Amberpaw wasn't quite sure who was more disappointed; her or Purdy. She _loathed _taking care of the elders, and Purdy...well, let's just say that he wasn't that fond of her either).

"'ey, now, missy. Ya hear me~no messin' 'round now, ya hear me? An' I think I gotta few ticks o'er here. Hurry it up!" Purdy snapped as Amberpaw scowled. Who was this frail, elderly cat to tell her what to do? Just to annoy him, she dwindled her time, taking incredibly slow steps to the medicine cat den to ask Seedflower for some mouse bile, then going back to Purdy's den, taking painstakingly slow to get there.

"All right..._ahhh_, that feels much bettah, missy." Purdy grudgingly admitted. "An' I want ma den spotless! Don't ya forget!"

_How could I forget? You remind me every few heartbeats!_ Amberpaw thought crossly. _It's not fair that Snowpaw and Dewpaw get to hunt and train, while I'm stuck dealing with a cat older than ThunderClan itself! _She knew that that was an exaggeration, though she didn't care. She had a right to exaggerate when she was stuck with a cranky elder!

Not really thinking about it, Amberpaw tugged out Purdy's old bedding, rolled it up, dumped it in the dirtplace, then made her way into the forest in search of more.

_Maybe I'll go to the old, broken down Twoleg nest, _Amberpaw mused. _There's _bound _to be some moss growing there. _

Padding on her way, she suddenly caught the rank scent of badger. She stepped forward, into a shaft of sunlight, which made her dappled coat gleam. Amberpaw sighed. Even though she had to admit she _was_ a bit pretty, she could never be as gorgeous as, say, Ivypool, with her beautiful silvery-white pelt, or Blossomfall, her tortoiseshell coat gleaming a hundred different shades. Why should Snowpaw even _like _her?

Amberpaw turned around. The scent of badger was getting stale, and she visibly relaxed. _Probably a day or two old_, she thought. _No need to worry, though I'll have to report this to Bramblesta~_

Her thoughts were cut short when she pitched forward violently and collapsed under a heavy weight. She tried to turn around, but the pressure on her thoat left her unable to breathe, and she choked for air as the scent of a badger enveloped her.

Amberpaw coughed and struggled to get out, and her heart sank when she saw three more cubs, all nearly rivaling her size. They shrieked with amusement as they leaped on her and scored their claws through her fur. Amberpaw howled in pain, but remained conscious. _I'll show you not to mess with a member of the Dark Forest!_ She thought furiously.

Remembering her training, Amberpaw lashed out with a single paw and twisted it backward, effectively slashing one of the badgers on the nose. One of the cubs screeched and tumbled off her, loosening the weight. Amberpaw suddenly got an idea. Slowly, she pulled back and, using the weight against them, pushed off her hind legs and the three other badgers tumbled off with a roar.

As Amberpaw stood up to face them, she suddenly felt an intense, fierce pain burning through her body. She screeched in pain and collapsed on the spot. The badgers exchanged glances, then her vision was replaced with seeing Halfpaw being run over by a large, shiny gray creature with a flashy pelt. It had hard black paws and glowing yellow eyes.

Amberpaw curled up in a round shape, screaming in pain. The pain was excuriating, so much that she wanted to beg for mercy. She panted and her vision blurred, but she glimpsed the badgers. They were coming to her slowly now, knowing their prey was trapped and eager to slaughter her.

"Help!" she wailed loudly, knowing she didn't wish to die just yet. "Help! Badgers!" just before the pain completely destroyed her, she saw a white figure with gleaming amber eyes emerge before her.

* * *

He had found a mouse.

Snowpaw steathily dropped into a hunter's crouch and stalked the plump, juicy mouse. Mouth-watering, he licked his chops. He could already _taste _the delicious prey.

Just as he was about to pounce, a startling screech interrupted him. The mouse squeaked in alarm and darted in it's hole.

Brightheart, leading the patrol, whipped around, eyes wide. "That sounded like a cat!"

The voice continued screaming, then started yowling, "Help! Help! Badgers!"

Snowpaw's heart sank. It was Amberpaw's voice!

Before he knew it, Snowpaw was sprinting through the undergrowth toward where Amberpaw's voice. He burst through the bushes and saw four badgers, looming over Amberpaw. Amberpaw, though Snowpaw couldn't see what was wrong with her, looked in deep pain and her tongue was out, panting heavily. Her eyes lolled until she lost consciousness.

_Is the pain really _that _bad? _Snowpaw wondered. _I can't even see anything wrong with her!_

Snowpaw crouched down and leaped, ripping his claws through the biggest badger~the one that seemed to be a female. Her three cubs looked old enough to stop nursing, and they pounced on him, covering him in scratches and bites.

_I'm outnumbered, I have to protect Amberpaw, for StarClan sake, I don't even know how to do the two-on-one battle moves yet! _Snowpaw thought alarmingly. The odds did not seem in his favor.

Just then, Brightheart burst through the gorse bushes, followed by the rest of the patrol except for his brother, Dewpaw. With a sinking feeling, he realized that, excluding Dewpaw, there were only three cats on the patrol; Brightheart, Bumblestripe and him. And there were four badgers.

Brightheart crashed into the first badger cub, shoving it into it's siblings. Bumblestripe raked his claws over the mother while Snowpaw struggled to his paws.

The fight went on. The badger cubs were ruthless. They scratched and slashed and cut and pounced. Many times they would leap on Snowpaw at the same time and squash the breath out of him and would leave him panting and begging for mercy, which would be neglected. A few times Snowpaw wanted to join Amberpaw and drop dead with exhaustion. Then Dewpaw ran through the gorse bushes, quickly followed by Bramblestar, Berrynose, Poppyfrost, Molewhisker and Seedflower, carrying herbs and cobwebs with her.

"Snowpaw, get here right this instant!" Seedflower ordered.

"But the badgers..." Snowpaw protested feebly, even though he knew it was of no use. Seedflower shoved him over under a large oak tree and began pressing cobwebs to a bleeding wound. Snowpaw sighed inwardly. _She becomes more and more like Jayfeather everyday. _

The rest of the cats easily cornered the mother badger and her cubs to a tree, Bramblestar at the head of the patrol. He took another step closer, and...

_Wham!_ The mother badger struck, using one massive paw(almost as large as Snowpaw's head!) filled with desperation. The paw landed on Bramblestar's head with a sickening _snap! _and Bramblestar collapsed, lying motionless on the ground as the badgers ran away.

"Bramblestar!" Seedflower exclaimed, completely forgetting about Snowpaw at the moment. She rushed over to her leader and examined him carefully. Then she raised her head and shook it. "He's losing a life," she whispered.

Time seemed to stretch out unnaturally. Finally, Molewhisker asked hesitantly, "That wasn't his last life, was it?"

"Of course not!" Seedflower snapped. "That was his second. His first life was lost to greencough last leaf-bare. He should be awake by now," Seedflower blinked, and for a moment she looked younger than all of them. "Shouldn't he?"

Finally, Bramblestar stirred. "I'm alright," he mumbled hoarsely. "I'm on my third life now."

All eight cats seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that their leader was still alive. Bramblestar staggered to his paws and looked at Amberpaw, who had stopped her struggles in her sleep and was now sleeping peacefully.

"Seedflower, would you see to her?" Bramblestar asked in a soft voice.

Seedflower nodded and went back to the clearing, while the rest of the cats returned to camp.

Well...almost.

"Snowpaw, not just yet," Bramblestar called.

Obediently, Snowpaw shuffled back over to where Bramblestar was standing.

"Snowpaw, you have shown bravery and courage. You are a quick-witted and obedient apprentice, which makes me think that I can confide a secret in you."

Snowpaw stretched out eagerly. "Yes?" he mewed. What a secret it would be, that no one~not even Seedflower knew!

"That was not my second life," Bramblestar mewed quietly. "But my third."

Snowpaw looked at him, startled. "But...but how did you lose your second life? It wasn't to greencough, was it?"

Bramblestar shook his head. "No, not my second. Lately, the Dark Forest~you remember it, don't you? You were still a kit at the time, but..."

Snowpaw nodded. "I remember it."

"Good. Anyway, lately, the Dark Forest has walked my dreams, and Tigerstar has tortured me, causing me to lose my second life."

Snowpaw blinked. "But Tigerstar's spirit was killed by Firestar! How could he be back?"

Bramblestar shook his head. "I don't know, Snowpaw." he murmured sadly. "I just don't know."

* * *

**Ooh! Another cliffie! Once again, there is a poll on my profile that asks your opinion on Amberpaw's warrior name. If you have any requests I can take them and put them on if I like it! If it's not on, I probably don't like it so sorry :( but on the brighter side I have more kits! Keep sending them in, pplz! I'm just gonna add that when Amberpaw collapsed and got the vision of Halfpaw being hit by the monster, Halfpaw was, at the same time, being hit by the monster. What does this mean, I wonder? *mysterious music plays***

**-Sky **


	16. Kits

**Three days in a row with super-long chapters! Y'all should thank me!**

**Very Special Note: OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! 105 reviews! Are you serious! But keeping to my promise, I am updating a lot. I've planned out most of the sequel, and even got the title ready. It's called, _"The Battle of Seven",_**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors! Now I gotta go!**

* * *

_A long time had _passed with no sign of the Tribe. Lugging the broken form of Halfpaw wasn't making their task much easier, either.

For the life of Cinderheart, she had no idea why Jayfeather and Lionblaze hated Leafpool so much. Just a simple, 'Hello' from her and she would earn a sharp glare. If she asked if Jayfeather needed help while he was tending to Halfpaw, a cuff around the ear was what she got, unless Jayfeather really did need help. And even then it was a rough order of, 'Get me some comfrey' or, 'Hold the cobwebs down'.

"Jayfeather," Lionblaze mewed impatiently. "I know you're worried about her, but we _need to get shelter. _It's almost dusk, and there isn't any sign of the Tribe anywhere."

"But~" Jayfeather began.

"No buts," Leafpool mewed, unusually sharp. "Jayfeather, she's fine without your care for a few moments. Right now our top priority is to find a place to spend the night."

Jayfeather sighed and grumbled something under his breath for a moment, then straightened up and nodded.

"I'm glad he didn't get angry," Cinderheart heard Tigerheart whisper to Dovewing. "I don't even know what's sharper: his tongue or his claws!"

Dovewing purred with amusement. "Your own fault for waking him up by poking him with a stick. Normally he just yells at you."

Quickly, the group of seven found a crevice in a large rock, big enough to house all of them. There was already some moss on the inside, so there was no need to fetch moss. Cinderheart attempted to stand up on her hind legs to slash some off, but her plump body wobbled and she tumbled over with a squeak.

Leafpool purred. "Maybe you should leave that to the others." she suggested.

"Good idea." Cinderheart mewed ruefully.

Lionblaze drew himself to his highest with his front paws on the ground. "Now, our next step is to~"

His grumbling stomach beat him to it.

Purrs of amusement echoed through the hollowed rock. "That's a good idea," Tigerheart snorted. "But are you sure your stomach won't hog all of it?"

Lionblaze blinked with embarrassment. "Anyway, I was about to say that we could hunt while Leafpool and Jayfeather tend to Halfpaw."

The four cats murmured their agreement as the exited their temporary home. Cinderheart had no idea why, but she was starving, even if her belly was bulging. _Weird, _she mused as she crept behind a nice, plump, juicy sparrow...

Suddenly, pains shot up her belly, and she collapsed with a howl. She panted spots danced along her vision. Finally, it was over, and she staggered to her paws. The only thing on her mind was to get back to the rock.

When she got back, she realized with a jolt of embarrassment that she was the only one who didn't manage to catch any prey. Tigerheart had somehow managed to catch a pheasant, while Lionblaze was carrying a bloody rabbit and a starling while Dovewing proudly held a vole, a thrush, a shrew and a mouse.

"Oops," Cinderheart muttered, staring at her paws. "I guess that means that I can't ea~"

"Nonsense!" Dovewing cut in. "Look what Lionblaze and I caught! It's all inside."

Cinderheart's eyes widened. _Oh, _she thought, _they caught more...and it's all in the rock. _She already felt her mouth water as shame spilled over her. _You don't catch a single piece of fresh-kill,_ _and now you're about to devour the whole pile? You need to make a contribution!_ She scolded herself.

When she entered, Cinderheart felt her eyes bulge. Dovewing and Lionblaze, together, had caught a squirrel almost as large as Halfpaw! She tried to bite back the temptation, but smell was too much. She hungrily ate the entire squirrel single-handedly, while the others, by silent agreement, slunk back for smaller pieces.

Once Cinderheart was finished the squirrel, she realized that she was still famished. Hesitantly, she picked up the thrush, but Leafpool gave her an encouraging nod, so Cinderheart quickly polished the thrush off, too.

With a full belly, Cinderheart lay down on the comfy moss that she figured Leafpool and Jayfeather had gotten, and felt a twinge of guilt. Why was she so useless? She used to be skilled at hunting, and this hunting trip got her nowhere. She was excellent at getting moss because her hind legs had strengthened thanks to Jayfeather's swimming lessons, but she couldn't even touch the moss thanks to her plumpness.

_What is _wrong _with me? _She wondered with a shudder. _Maybe I'm sick? _

"Cinderheart!" Leafpool called from the back of the hollowed-out rock. "Could you come over here for a moment? Jayfeather and I want to talk to you."

Cinderheart felt a rush of fear enter her. She was right! She _was _sick...at least she was pretty sure she was, because why else would a medicine cat and a former medicine cat want her?

Once she got to the back of the rock, Leafpool mewed carefully, "Cinderheart, I don't know if you know this yet, but I don't think you do."

Cinderheart blinked. "Huh?" she asked.

"You're expecting kits." Jayfeather suddenly mewed bluntly. "They're due in two moons. You can't hunt or anything, because you might injure them." he flicked his tail toward her. "They're Lionblaze's, if you were wondering."

"What?" Lionblaze suddenly appeared beside Cinderheart. "What about me?" he asked again.

Leafpool looked at Cinderheart. _You tell him, _she mouthed. Then the two turned to examine Halfpaw again.

"Why did they say my name?" Lionblaze asked.

Cinderheart cringed. "Because I'm expecting your kits."

After, Cinderheart really wished that she hadn't said that, because it was Lionblaze's second accident in a moon.

* * *

"Are you sure you're fine?" Seedflower fretted.

Amberpaw scowled and turned around. Her back was blocking the sunlight from wafting in the cave, and it made Seedflower's pale ginger coat look like a musty gray.

"Yes, Seedflower, I feel perfectly fine. _So _perfect, in fact, that I'd appreciate it if you _let me hunt already._"

Seedflower sighed. "Okay, but...just come back if you feel any more pains, alright?"

Amberpaw nodded, eager to escape Seedflower and her overprotective ways. As Amberpaw leaped out, she was cornered by Spiderleg.

"Let's go to the mossy hollow with the other apprentices." Spiderleg made a suggestion sound like an order. "We'll do battle training there."

Dewpaw and Dustpelt quickly caught up with Amberpaw and Spiderleg. Spiderleg gave each a nod, then continued to the mossy hollow.

Once there, Snowpaw and Sorreltail were waiting for them. As they gathered, Sorreltail immediately started explaining what they were going to do.

"We're going to practice some two-on-one fighting. Bramblestar specifically wants you to work on this, because, as we know, there are four badgers near ThunderClan territory. Should one of you be cornered~" her gaze flickered over to Amberpaw, who felt a twinge of annoyance. _Okay, I don't have any idea what happened either, so don't pester me! _She thought.

Sorreltail continued. "Should one of you be cornered, you must be prepared. Dustpelt, Spiderleg," she nodded to the two toms, who quickly cornered her. Then she started explaining again. "In this kind of situation, you have to..."

Amberpaw tuned out what Sorreltail was saying, because Tigerstar had taught her a more effective way to do it. As she watched Sorreltail dart under Spiderleg and rake his belly with sheathed claws, Amberpaw thought, _you should also use your hind legs to make him lose his balance. Then it would be easier to leap on him once you get out from under him. _

Of course, Sorreltail didn't do that. She only darted out and pounced on Dustpelt, who staggered in(literal) surprise. The elderly brown tom easily collapsed in a heap of skin and bones under Sorreltail's weight and Sorreltail, terrified, quickly drew back.

"Dustpelt?" she mewed in a shaky voice. "Are you alright?"

Dustpelt didn't answer.

"Get Ja~Seedflower." Spiderleg ordered Dewpaw. Dewpaw rolled his eyes but dashed away nonetheless.

A few moments later, Dewpaw returned with Seedflower right on his tail. Seedflower's eyes were wide with alarm as she surveyed the brown tabby tom. She checked him, then quickly fed him some herbs. Dustpelt's breathing eased, but he still didn't move.

Amberpaw's eyes widened as she realized that Dustpelt's breathing was slowing down, so slow that she could scarcely see his flank rising. _He's dying! _She realized with a jolt.

Dustpelt's breaths slowed and slowed...until it stopped completely, despite Seedflower's frantic efforts. Finally, she raised her head. "He's dead," she whispered, blinking furiously. A tear trailed down her cheek, and Seedflower fell beside Dustpelt, her body wracked with sobs as Sorreltail gently groomed her.

Amberpaw felt numb as she watched the frail body of Dustpelt with his eyes closed, looking like he was sleeping. It was a sleep he would never wake from.

Spiderleg carefully picked his father up by the scruff. "I don't think Bramblestar wants us training anymore." he mumbled around the scruff.

When they got back, the entire camp stared at them, eyes wide with shock as they watched the body of their Clanmate. Seedflower was beside herself with grief, leaning on her mother's shoulder as tears streaked down and wet her fur.

Then the thunder came. It had been a sunny day, Amberpaw reflected, but now she felt something ominous creeping up on them. Then the lightning flashed and struck the camp grounds.

For a second, nothing happened. Then the camp filled with an acid-smelling scent, and Amberpaw blinked in fear as she saw the bright red flames, greedily licking up the camp.

_Fire!_

* * *

Dovewing awoke to a blazing sunrise. With a mew of astonishment, she wriggled out of the hollow rock that the seven of them were resting in, and watched the beautiful pale-golden rays lick over everything. _It's so pretty, _she thought.

"Enjoying the sun?" Dovewing turned around in surprise as she saw Tigerheart pad out of the rock.

Dovewing nodded and turned back to the warmth of the sun. "Yes, actually. It's so quiet at dawn." she paused, trying to find the perfect word. "Peaceful." yes, that sounded right.

Dovewing closed her eyes and tried to listen for ThunderClan, pinpointing a certain pale gray tom with black stripes. _Bumblestripe. _He was on the dawn patrol with Berrynose, Ivypool and Cherryfoot. Dovewing imagined his handsome features perfectly, from the thick fur to his torn ear.

"Dovewing? Dovewing?" Dovewing was quickly pulled from her thoughts and looked at Tigerheart.

"You were thinking about him, weren't you?" he mewed softly. "Your mate~Bumblestripe, in ThunderClan."

Dovewing was shocked. How did Tigerheart know that Bumblestripe was her mate?

Tigerheart continued. "You like him more than you like me, don't you? You never liked me when we stared meeting again. You were thinking, 'Bumblestripe, Bumblestripe, Bumblestripe'."

Dovewing watched, frozen, as Tigerheart turned around and re-entered the hollowed-out rock. As Lionblaze called inside, "Okay, ThunderClan! It's time to get up and moving!" quieter, he added, so that no cat could hear(except for Dovewing, of course), "I've always wanted to say that."

Travelling was dull, and the only highlight was when Halfpaw woke up. She kept at a steady pace, until she collapsed, coughing.

"Halfpaw! What's wrong?" Leafpool fretted.

"I smell smoke," Halfpaw choked out. "So much that it's smothering me...ouch!" she screamed as a part of her fur was singed. "That burned me!" she hissed through gritted teeth.

There was both panic and concern in Leafpool's eyes. "What's happening? How did Halfpaw get burned?"

Halfpaw's eyes were watering. "I see flames...it's surrounding me.." she whispered. "I'm in camp...there's no one else but me, and I'm trapped. Help!" she screeched. "It's closing in on me..."

"Did Halfpaw get enough sleep?" Lionblaze asked.

Jayfeather shook her head. "Halfpaw isn't dellusional. At least, if she was, dellusions don't singe fur." he muttered darkly. "Get her in a water source!"

"There is none!" Cinderheart exclaimed.

Halfpaw panted, then visibly sagged with relief. "I'm out, I've jumped in the lake..." she blinked. "What just happened?" she asked.

Leafpool slowly shook her head. "I, in all my life, have never seen anything like it."

Jayfeather also shook his head. "Neither have I."

"Of course you haven't," Halfpaw teased him. "Since when have you ever _seen_?"

Jayfeather sighed and rolled his eyes, while the group continued.

"That was creepy." Dovewing shuddered. She felt Lionblaze's tail rest on her and she looked up. His eyes were filled with horror and shock.

"There's something with Halfpaw that just isn't right..." he muttered to her.

Dovewing nodded her agreement. There wasn't anything wrong with Halfpaw herself, but something else...

Suddenly, loud, rushing water filled her ears and she was standing in front of a mountain with a waterfall, flowing past.

They had reached the home of the Tribe of Rushing Water.

* * *

**Okay, so vote on the poll on my profile page, and review, and BYE!**

**-Sky**


	17. Darkness Within

**Haiii guys! Didja like the three-updates-in-a-row? Well, sorry! It's not gonna last! Blame it on school. I'm so busy! And I don't wanna fall behind because we're having a lot of tests 'caz the report cards are coming out, that have to be SIGNED(uh-oh...). Oh, and Amberpaw almost gets sucked in completely by evil this chappie, but the light of her life has shone through it...if you don't get the symbolism, just read! And: You'll see a cat that you would've never expected to see again, but they aren't who they seem like they are.**

**Disclaimer: Okay, I'm getting really tired of this, but 'tis neccesary to get SOPA(if you don't know about SOPA, then check out "I am Reyna daughter of Bellona"'s profile) to stop breathing down 's necks. **

* * *

"_Lionblaze! Leafpool! _Dovewing!" exclaimed Stoneteller. The Tribe, Jayfeather was sure, saw them coming from a long way behind and had flooded out to greet them. "Long time no see!"

Jayfeather felt Leafpool's eyes scan the crowd of mud-streaked cats, then let out a happy chirp as she bounced. "Stormfur!" she murmured.

"And who's this?" the former Crag Where Eagles Nest was more than welcoming. "Jaypaw! I haven't seen you for moons!"

"Jay_feather_," Jayfeather grumbled.

He heard a snort of laughter. "Grumpy as usual."

"_Shut up_."

Jayfeather heard Lionblaze push ahead of him and shove him back, to which he obliged with a growl.

"Greetings, Stoneteller." Lionblaze began. "We are on a journey and are wondering if we are permitted to rest here for a night."

"You're more than permitted." was Stoneteller's friendly mew. "You can stay for as long as you want."

Suddenly, squeals of excitement were heard and he felt two cats bound up to them.

_Stormfur and Brook? No, these cats are too lithe, and light, _Jayfeather mused. _So who are they?_

"Hey, Lionblaze! Remember _me_?" one of them crowed. Then it hit him. They were Pine That Clings to Rock and Lark That Sings at Dawn.

Tuning out Lionblaze's reply, Jayfeather instead concentrated on the wave of uncertainty that was flowing freely among the Tribe. No doubt, of course~they had a long history together, not a lot of them good. Jayfeather remembered only too well what had happened to Screech because of them.

"We're to-bes now!" Jayfeather heard Lark that Sings at Dawn declare. "I'm going to be a prey-hunter and Pine is going to be a cave-guard! Oh, and those big mean cats are gone, too!" Rambling pure nonsense. Of course, that happened to most cats as they got excited.

"So, these are Tigerheart, Halfpaw and Cinderheart. They're journeying with us." Jayfeather then heard Lionblaze introduce.

Leaving them to do whatever they needed, Jayfeather reached up and dug his claws in the rocky slope. It was steep, but Jayfeather didn't care. The only thing that mattered was getting to the top.

After he managed to hike himself up, he found himself clinging on the rock with all four paws for dear life. He gritted his teeth as he felt a shower of rocks under his paws crumble and fall. He tried to ignore how long it took for them to hit the ground.

Pushing one paw in front of another, Jayfeather continued on the slope until his claws hurt and every part of him was screaming at him to let go. Of course, Jayfeather didn't.

_Times like these are when I really wish I could see!_ Jayfeather inwardly thought.

He reached up further with his front paws, expecting another pawhold of rock for him to use, but was surprised when he felt nothing but a smooth, sharp edge. _I'm already on the cliff!_ He hissed in pain as the edge sliced through his pads, oozing blood.

Stretching as far as he could, Jayfeather managed to get his front paws on a flat but uneven surface and scrabbled up with his hind legs until he was safely at the top. He tried not to think of how he would get down.

He stretched, arching his back in a plethora of varying grays and blues of the sky and the dampening water and inhaled a windy, crisp atmosphere.

_It's getting colder, _he realized. _It _used _to be late greenleaf, but now it's becoming leaf-fall. _He inwardly groaned. _Perfect time to have kits, eh, Cinderheart?_

He sighed, knowing that there was one couple in his mind that would possibly not have kits at all. Weren't medicine cats forbidden to take on mates? Why were they, anyway? It wasn't like they were going to be distracted by their main duty, anyway. If that were the case, then why not apply that rule to the warriors, too?

Lost in his own thoughts, he almost missed the elegant pawsteps on rocks and pebbles until the beautiful scent wafted up to him. Jayfeather whipped his head to the direction it was coming from, but in a flash, he felt the brush of a she-cat beside him.

In an instant, his vision was back. _Am I dreaming? _He wondered, but then looked back to see his body~his shell~lying on the ground. He blinked in understanding and turned to look at the cat beside him.

What he saw took his breath away. Sure, he had seen her before, but never this beautiful. The delicate curves of her flanks. The ever-changing rippling patterns that was her fur. Her amber eyes, shining with the brightness of a full moon. Her white-tipped tail, swishing back and forth in a cute but imposing way. She seemed beautiful and elegant but intimidating in a way. And a smirk marred her face, while a hint of darkness showed in those amber depths.

It was Spottedleaf.

* * *

Agony burned at her sides as her flanks heaved. Her once-golden brown shining tabby fur was now burned and blackened. And the raw, red skin that now showed. It definitely hurt.

The lake did nothing to help it. Briarlight had made her get out, anyway, because her red skin was rubbing off into the lake(ew). She and Brightheart had made a poultice of dock leaf and had slicked it on her burned flank, but after a while, the sudden downpour of rain made sure to wash it off. Every last scrape of dock was either washed off by the rain or rubbed off by the dense undergrowth of ThunderClan.

No one tried to help her put it back on again, which didn't surprise Amberpaw. She had been so horrible to all of them(not including Snowpaw, of course) in the last few days that she would've been astonished if a cat~Ivypool, maybe?~came up to her and said, "Wow, you look hurt. Need some help with that dock leaf poultice?" of course, no cat did that. Not even Thornclaw.

Thornclaw...Amberpaw couldn't even describe the intense hatred she felt for her parental heritage. Why did he have to make Mothwing kit her, anyway? All she was was a waste of prey and space. No cat even liked her, and her only friend~Halfpaw~had left her, making her wonder if Halfpaw even liked her either.

_Great_, Amberpaw thought. _So I'm either totally ignored or totally hated by my entire family and Clan._

But a thought nagged at her. _What about Snowpaw? _Snowpaw...she didn't know how she felt for him. After he had spurred her on, it was then that Amberpaw was able to train in the Dark Forest and meet Mapleshade. Mapleshade was an insparation to her: a queen with two deceased kits, exiled from her Clan and rejected by her mate, but she stayed strong. Maybe that was how Amberpaw was supposed to live: Maybe have kits with Snowpaw, then leave ThunderClan to join the Dark Forest and never look back. Yes, that sounded good.

The moment the thought was out in her head, Amberpaw felt her face burn with embarrassment. _Have kits with Snowpaw? _Was she _crazy_? Why would she even be thinking that, at her age?

With her head hurting, Amberpaw curled up in her mossy nest, and waited until the pain in her side turned into pin-pricks as she fell asleep.

"Amberpaw." the greeting was cool, and Amberpaw immediately knew that it was Mapleshade. A bit of hidden~but fond~affection with an edge of roughness was what made up Mapleshade's mew, at least when she was talking to Amberpaw.

Amberpaw turned, not at all surprised when she saw the ragged tortoiseshell. "Hello, Mapleshade."

Mapleshade dipped her head. "I have seen how you've been treated by your Clanmates by the lake. Not very fond of you, are they?"

Amberpaw shook her head with a snort. "Not at all." was her reply. Then her fur bushed up as she remembered her earlier remark. "And they're not my Clanmates. You are."

Mapleshade nodded her approval. "Very good. I was thinking that maybe Tigerstar could arrange your warrior ceremony..."

Amberpaw blinked in surprise. "My _warrior ceremony? _Won't my Clanmates wonder where I got my new name?"

Mapleshade scolded her with a sharp hiss. "I thought you said they weren't your _Clanmates_?" she reminded her.

Amberpaw snorted with amusement. "Fair enough." she chided.

"Now, Amberpaw, listen." Amberpaw watched as Mapleshade's expression got serious, and started sincerely listening. "I see much of the younger me in you. You come from a unique heritage, too. Holding the blood of ThunderClan, and having the skills of RiverClan, though your mother wasn't of RiverClan blood. You are hated and unliked by your so called, 'Clanmates' and are an outcast among your own kind. So familiar, Amberpaw, because I was dealing with _the same problems_. Actually, more, because I loved a RiverClan tom." Mapleshade spat with contempt, amusement filling her gaze. "I soon made him wish that he was never kitted. Anyway, I was saying that you were quite like me, and I can see you walking down my path. Leave your Clan, and the Dark Forest will take you in with open arms."

Amberpaw pondered on this decision, but it was an easy one. The only thing who held her back was that handsome white-furred tom, with deep pools of amber blinking at her...

Amberpaw shook herself. _What are you thinking? _She scolded. _Mapleshade, too, loved, and look where that has her! It's better not to be..._corrupted _by toms, anyway. _And with that, it sealed her decision/

"I'll go."

Mapleshade seemed pleased by the sincerity of her voice, because she called out, "She's ready!"

A crowd of cats suddenly gathered, smushing her. Then Amberpaw realized that they weren't crowding _her_, but rather a dark brown tabby tom that waved at her invitingly with his tail, beckoning her to go on top of a very high rock.

Amberpaw quickly followed.

"Cats of the Dark Forest, we have come here to welcome a brand-new warrior among us." his gaze raked over Amberpaw. "Do you, Amberpaw, formerly of ThunderClan, promise to uphold the Dark Forest code with your life?"

_The Dark Forest code. _Tigerstar had taught her that on the earlier days of her training in the Dark Forest. She was eager to accept the new rules that she was soon going to be bound to.

Amberpaw tried to cross her claws as she mewed, "I do."

She saw Brokenstar narrow his eyes, as if she had done something wrong, but in a flash, it was gone, and she was filled with relief. _Better not be messing with _my_ warrior ceremony, piece of fox dung!_

Tigerstar did not notice the brief exchange with Brokenstar and Amberpaw. "Then, by the power controlled by me, I, Tigerstar, leader of the Dark Forest, hereby allow this apprentice to choose her warrior name."

Amberpaw blinked. "Choose my warrior name?" she echoed. Snickers around the clearing were heard, and Amberpaw scraped her claws against the cold, hard stone menacingly. The snickers immediately quieted.

"Yes. Choosing your own name is essential in the Dark Forest system," Tigerstar explained, albeit a little impatiently.

Amberpaw immediately understood. She immediately understood because she did not want to be immediately clawed. Her mind whirred through all the possibilities and they settled on one single name.

"Ambershade." Ambershade mewed. The name sounded a little foreign on her tongue, probably because she had gone by 'Amberpaw' for so long, but now it was gone, and Ambershade welcomed her new name. Mapleshade's eyes shone with approval.

Tigerstar dipped his head. "Then Ambershade it is." he waved his tail to dismiss the crowd, and Mapleshade immediately padded up to her.

"Very nice name choice," she congratulated. "And don't forget to come to the Dark Forest when you wake up. Don't worry, you'll know how to get there once you exit the camp."

Ambershade nodded, then widened her eyes as she suddenly disappeared from the Dark Forest and woke up in her own nest in the apprentices' den.

Contempt filled her body as she examined the den. _I shouldn't be in here! I should be in the warriors' den! I'm a warrior now! _But she knew, in the eyes of these cats, she would always be Amberpaw. Hmm, Amberpaw. The name seemed comforting, somehow. Ambershade quickly shook that off. No need to draw out sympathies.

Ambershade's movement must've disturbed another apprentice, because that certain apprentice, with his snow-white fur and gleaming amber eyes, quickly woke up and looked at her.

"Again?" Snowpaw asked. "But you haven't got any injuries. Hmm, that's odd."

_Odd, indeed. _

"Amberpaw?" Snowpaw asked. "You're acting a little weird now.

Ambershade violently shook her head. "It's Ambershade now." she mewed. She knew that she shouldn't have told him that, but she was about to leave, anyway, so what was the harm?

"Ambershade?" on Snowpaw's tongue, it sounded menacing, and evil. Ambershade decided that she liked her new name, even if Amberpaw brought up happier memories.

"What do you mean? Amberpaw~I mean, Ambershade?" Snowpaw asked. Ambershade inwardly sighed. So much questions, this tom had, but he would get no answers.

Ambershade rose up from her familiar nest and padded out the den. Snowpaw swiftly followed.

"Hey~Ambershade, what're you doing? And why are you acting so weird?" he rentlessly questioned.

Ambershade ignored him, instead quickly making her way to the camp entrance, where the guard slept soundly. Ambershade rolled her eyes. _Cloudtail,_ she thought.

"Would you answer my questions?!" Snowpaw snarled. Ambershade was startled by the tone of his voice~angered, and filled with pure disgust. Ambershade looked at him with wide eyes. Dark, amber eyes filled with hate met hers.

Ambershade drew away, already feeling tears glisten in her eyes. Why was she being so...stupid? She had gotten all the warnings, but her heart refused to budge. Ambershade knew why. She was in love with Snowpaw, and nothing could stop that.

"I'm sorry, Mapleshade. I'm still Amberpaw for now. I'll take up my name when I'm ready." Amberpaw whispered, just so the Dark Forest warriors could hear her.

A whisper of understanding whisked by her, then Amberpaw looked at Snowpaw, sadness filling her gaze. This time she would tell him the truth. The whole truth, including her feelings for him.

"Let's you and I have a walk." she said.

* * *

A calm, pattering sound echoed throughout the trees and bushes as two young cats padded through it. Amberpaw felt her confessions reel off her tongue, from her momentary bouts of anger to her feelings of shame, but, however much she tried to pressure herself, she couldn't confess her feelings to him.

Once she was done, Amberpaw lowered her head and expected a growl of anger to ring out at any moment. When none came, she looked up in surprise to see understanding in Snowpaw's eyes.

"I...I understand how you feel." Snowpaw mewed. "When I was still a kit, a Dark Forest warrior visited me and promised me that I would be the best warrior I could've been. He started training me, a little roughly, but nothing I couldn't handle." he puffed his chest out in mock pride and Amberpaw purred with amusement.

"But then, he disappeared, and I saw a gray she-cat fighting him in the final battle. Then I knew that he was evil. I stopped going to the Dark Forest, but sometimes, I still think of them, unable to resist their promises of power."

Amberpaw was awed~and shocked~by Snowpaw's confession. She had never known he would feel anything like that before. She had always thought of him as innocent, kind, sweet Snowpaw. She thought wrong.

"And," Snowpaw was whispering now. "I have one more confession to make."

Amberpaw wondered what this second confession was.

And then Snowpaw said the most delightful three words she had ever heard.

"I love you."

* * *

**Aww! Mushy again! Well, I wrote this at nighttime, and that's when I'm most mushy so...(it's weird, really) and don't forget to _REVIEW_ and vote on my poll on my profile!**

**-Sky**


	18. Shadows in the Forest

**Okay! Sorry for not updating in, like, an entire WEEK, but here it is! I've got writer's block, BTW, so that's probably why, but I made a promise that I'll finish this, so I will. I'm not one to back out of my promises.**

**Disclaimer: Sky is really tired of doing this but still, I do not own Warriors...**

* * *

"_Spottedleaf?" Jayfeather asked _incredelously.

Spottedleaf's amber eyes gleamed with something he could read as she padded over and brushed her pelt with his. "So handsome," she murmured. "It's obvious you're Firestar's kin." her voice grew bitter and she spat angrily. "Pah! Firestar! Going for that stupid ginger excuse for a cat!" she snarled.

Jayfeather was surprised at how much she'd changed. "How are you here?" he demanded. "Your spirit died during the final battle."

Spottedleaf met his gaze with an infuratingly calm look. "I have my ways."

_Of course you have your ways, _Jayfeather thought with an irritable twitch of an ear. _Dead cats' spirits don't just come back to life!_

On any other occasion, Jayfeather would've been overjoyed that Spottedleaf had returned, the beautiful, gentle, caring medicine cat that always guided him, but now, after Jayfeather had seen that Tigerstar, Hawkfrost, Brokenstar had returned, along with all the other Dark Forest warriors, his suspicions were aroused.

Jayfeather quickly realized that he was standing so close to Spottedleaf that he could feel her breath on his flank as he smelt her sweet-smelling scent.

"Why did you call me here?" Jayfeather blurted out bluntly. "You came to me in a dream and told me to meet you here."

Spottedleaf purred softly. "To spread the word." she mewed simply.

Jayfeather was puzzled. "What do you mean, 'spread the word'?" he asked stupidly.

Spottedleaf moved lightning-fast, easily pinning down Jayfeather. Her movements, though violent, seemed as fast as a wolf's, and as delicate as a butterfly's. Her amber eyes gleamed with malice, and Jayfeather realized that this cat was not the Spottedleaf he knew. She was corrupted~turned evil~by the Dark Forest, if he had to guess.

"To spread the word that I am back, and that I am no longer the gentle weakling you knew me of." Spottedleaf mewed simply, then shoved Jayfeather away as her face darkened into a scowl. "I wish I could kill you. You and your pitiful siblings, you and Lionblaze twice, while Hollyleaf only once." Spottedleaf curled her lip, revealing sharp teeth. "And your mother and her idiotical sister." Her eyes blazed murderously. "They are the existence that Firestar was Sandstorm's mate, not mine." she scraped her claws against the rocky surface, sending shudders up Jayfeather's spine. "And, lastly, and _definetly_ least, Sandstorm. She will die the most painful death of all."

And then Spottedleaf was gone, leaving Jayfeather to ponder on what he had just seen.

* * *

Settling it was hard for Tigerheart.

Mostly because of the annoying to-bes.

"Haiii!" shrieked one of them in his ear while he curled up in a hole full of feathers and moss. "Are you awaaake?"

Tigerheart groaned and clamped both paws over his ears.

"He's awake!" laughed one of them.

"Nice, Pine." complemented another.

Trying not to rake the ears off these annoying little cats were _hard_. He had little patience left in him and his paws hurt from clenching them so that his claws wouldn't unsheathe.

"Let's bother that dark gray one!" squeaked one of them.

"Now, kits," mewed an older voice belonging to a she-cat, whom Tigerheart guessed was the mother of these pesky to-bes. "No bothering the newcomers. They're our _guests_."

"Aww!"

"You can join a hunting patrol." she commanded.

Sighs and growls of unhappiness were heard, then Tigerheart contently listened to them pad away, and he curled up in a tighter ball, rejoicing in the warmth of it...

It seemed only a few moments before Lionblaze woke him up. "Wake up," he told the younger warrior. "It's time to have our daily meal."

Tigerheart blinked, confused. "What do you mean, 'daily meal'? So there's only one meal for the day?"

Lionblaze grunted. "I hate coming here. I always come back skinnier."

Tigerheart stretched, curling his dark brown tabby body in an arch as he shook the bleariness out of him and stifled a yawn. "Where's Jayfeather?"

"I'm right here." scowled a familiar grumpy voice. Tigerheart swiveled to see Jayfeather, with his pads oozing blood and his fur matted and gasped, trying to make it to him to examine his scratches, but Halfpaw beat him to it, curling her white-gray body around him as she howled, "What in the name of the Tribe of Endless Hunting happened to you?"

"I fell off a cliff," Jayfeather mumbled, sounding a little embarrassed. "I climbed it and I fell off. The end."

A moment of quiet shock came between the four of them, then Tigerheart heard Halfpaw laugh.

"You...you fell off a _cliff_? Why would you climb the cliff anyway?" she asked, her body still shaking with laughter.

Jayfeather growled. "I climbed it because I did. Now be quiet before I claw your ears."

Halfpaw fell silent, but Tigerheart could tell that she didn't take the threat seriously. Her whiskers kept twitching with amusement, and she snorted every now and then. He and Lionblaze just kept silent, waiting for the moment when Jayfeather would snap.

It came quickly.

Jayfeather let out a yowl of mock rage as he pounced on the smaller apprentice. Tigerheart could see that his paws were round and smooth~clearly he didn't want to hurt her.

Halfpaw squeaked in surprise as she fell over, and purred with amusement as Jayfeather pinned her to the ground. Her bright green eyes were filled with happiness and...

_Wait, _Tigerheart thought. _Is...is that love I see? Wow, I'm not sure that's going to work out. _It was true. Jayfeather was a medicine cat, and medicine cats were forbidden to take mates. He sighed, remembering one medicine cat in particular who had died because of some broken ice.

"Lionblaze! I'm eating your share of fresh-kill!" Tigerheart suddenly heard Cinderheart yowl.

Lionblaze made a mad dash toward the entrance of the cave, flinging out a, "Nooo!" as he sprinted past them. Tigerheart's whiskers twitched with amusement.

It was then that he noticed the pale gray shape that was staring, slightly uncertain at him.

Dovewing.

She clutched a plump rabbit in her jaws and she looked like she was debating whether she should go and ask if they could share. Tigerheart remembered their spat earlier that day and realized that he still couldn't forgive her. He pointedly turned his back on her and went to share with a Tribe cat called Pebble that Rolls Down Mountain.

He could literally _feel _her disappointment, but ignored it. _If she wants me so much, she needs to stop moonimg over Bumblestripe! _He thought bitterly.

As he pushed away the gaping hole in his heart, that is.

* * *

Dustpelt's body was buried that morning.

Amberpaw woke up and stretched, curling her slender tail in a spiral shape before releasing her hold and letting it spring as she saw the cats who had held vigil for Dustpelt~Sandstorm, Graystripe, Sorreltail, Brackenfur, Spiderleg, Birchfall, Icecloud (with her belly heavy with kits) and Foxleap~stagger to their own respective nests and sighed. Death was not something she wanted to deal with.

At the same time, Amberpaw heard Bramblestar yowl, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Amberpaw roughly dragged herself to the center of the clearing, expecting Bramblestar's speech to begin.

"As you all know, our beloved warrior Dustpelt has died, and now one of his friends wish to retire." his gaze locked on Sandstorm. Amberpaw noted how frail and old she looked now, even standing beside Graystripe. She had lost her mate and best friend, and Amberpaw couldn't help but feel sorry for her. _I've lost my family, too. _

"Sandstorm, is it your wish to retire to elder and give up the title of warrior?"

Despite her frail appearance, Sandstorm's voice was strong and confident as she mewed, "It is."

Bramblestar gave her a tiny nod. "Your Clan honors you for your service. May you have many seasons of peace and rest."

"Oh, I don't need that many seasons," Sandstorm mewed breezily. "Just a few seasons would be fine. I'd like to see Firestar again."

The clearing was quiet as they processed what Sandstorm had just said: That she didn't mind if she died soon after she had become an elder, because then she would get to see her beloved mate again. Amberpaw tried to put herself in Sandstorm's paws. What if that was Snowpaw and her? If Snowpaw died, and she was left all alone...yes, that was right. She would be, in a word, broken. She would probably take her own life just to be with him in StarClan. And plus, this was after many, many seasons, where Amberpaw had already lived for countless moons and she already had kits...

Kits...Amberpaw felt a warm feeling spread through her. _What would it be like, _she wondered, _to have kits? To be a mother? _Then she shook herself. _Silly!_ She scolded. _How can you achieve your dream of becoming deputy if you have kits? Bramblestar won't take a _nursing queen _as his deputy!_

Amberpaw looked at the handsome white tom, and a warm feeling spread into her body. Last night, just the night before, Snowpaw had said it. He had said that he loved her. Just thinking about it make Amberpaw get a tingly feeling, a feeling that she liked and hated at the same time. A feeling that made her want to jump and yowl and run a million fox-lengths.

Amberpaw tried not to reflect on how that just sounded.

As the crowd of cats dispersed, Amberpaw saw Bramblestar quietly speaking with Dewpaw. _Probably giving him a new mentor, _Amberpaw thought.

Amberpaw didn't notice the spider until he came up and prodded her with a paw. "Battle training with Sorreltail. Let's go." as usual, he managed to make his sentence sound like an order.

As Amberpaw quietly padded through the undergrowth, dodging thorns and brambles here and there, she finally reached the mossy hollow, with Sorreltail and Snowpaw standing there. Snowpaw had a sparkle in his amber eyes as he gazed at her, and Amberpaw felt that tingly feeling again. She sighed. Oh how she _loved _to _hate _that feeling.

They practiced some simple fighting drills before Dewpaw and his new mentor, Berrynose arrived. Amberpaw noticed, with a _mrrow _of amusement, that Dewpaw's nose was scrunched up, as if he severely disliked his new mentor. _Probably, _Amberpaw thought.

They continued with drills before Amberpaw noticed a foul stench clogging up her nostrils. She sniffed, then froze. _She knew that scent!_ Letting go of Snowpaw, who was her partner, she scented the air again.

"Invaders!" she managed to yowl before ShadowClan started dropping like rain on her shoulders.

* * *

**Oooh! Shadows in the Forest! Okay, I'm just quoting from a line in Dustpaw's story in the "Battles of the Clans" field guide. Maybe I could keep deceased warriors' memories alive by quoting their words...hmm, good idea! Anyway, REVIEW and vote on the poll on my profile if you haven't! There's one name for Amberpaw that's winning, but there are close runner-ups so HURRY!**

**-Sky**


	19. Tunnels

**Halooooo! Well, one of you commented (in your review) that you've been 'positively miserable' while waiting for an update, so...here! Be happy and NOT miserable!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT FREAKING OWN WARRIORS! *runs off sobbing***

* * *

_Amberpaw's paws flashed out, claws _unsheathed and easily ripped the ear of the first cat in sight. Crowfrost.

The mangy ShadowClan warrior widened his eyes before narrowing them and spitting, "Fine, if that's how you want it, kit."

Amberpaw was moving before he was finished, sliding under his belly and slashing at the soft, exposed skin. She felt a twinge of satisfaction when she heard him wail.

When she pulled herself out, blood decorated her fur, and Crowfrost was almost doubled over. She curled her lip. That would show the stupid ShadowClan warrior not to mess with _ThunderClan. _

Amberpaw's eyes scanned the chaos and she quickly realized that Snowpaw was fighting two-to-one. Amberpaw snarled. _Cowards!_ She leaped, in one graceful motion, on the bigger one, who turned out to be Ratscar. Amberpaw had never actually seen the former Dark Forest warrior, but maybe _he _would put up a fight.

Sure enough, Ratscar immediately rolled on his back, forcing Amberpaw to jump off, but exposed his belly, instead. She ripped at it with passion.

Instead of flinching off like Crowfrost did, Ratscar flipped over and easily pinned the smaller apprentice down. Amberpaw curled her lip again. _This is getting interesting! _She, again, raked his belly with her hind claws, slashing deeper in the wounds that she had already inflicted. Ratscar's grip loosened, and Amberpaw took advantage of that, shoving herself upwards and throwing Ratscar off her.

Ratscar twisted in midair and ended facing her when he landed. The two cats crouched in a circle, waiting for the right time to attack.

Suddenly, the brown tom pounced, faster than Amberpaw could react. She was flung with such force that she slammed into a maple tree, to which she yelped when she heard something crack. She bit her lip. _If I broke a bone... _No, she wouldn't think about breaking bones. Now she had to concentrate on the fight.

Ratscar was clearly one of the best warriors in ShadowClan; most of ThunderClan wasn't able to beat her in fighting, except for the seasoned warriors, like Lionblaze, but, then again, he was almost impossible to fight.

As Amberpaw landed on her paws, pain shot up her right leg and she collapsed. Ratscar snorted as if she was a stupid apprentice that didn't stand a chance against him.

_StarClan... _Amberpaw suddenly realized that she _was _a stupid apprentice that didn't stand a chance against him, at least with her (broken?) leg. _I'll have to fight with three paws, _she thought grimly.

She raised herself on her hind legs (which brought her up to Ratscar's face) and slashed, concentrating on damaging his eyes. At least then Ratscar might 'accidently' gouge out his own eyes.

She wobbled on them for a second, before snapping at herself, _Concentrate! Tigerstar taught you this! _She quickly righted her balance before attacking him with her claws again.

Ratscar didn't take the simple move lightly. He surged forward, ramming his head in Amberpaw's belly, and Amberpaw stumbled, just managing not to topple over, but it was getting harder. Her vision blurred, and her legs ached from holding her up. Not to mention it wasn't easy fighting _Ratscar_ with only one paw, as the other one was (possibly) broken. Beside her, Spiderleg and Sorreltail were fighting for their lives as they both fought two-on-one. Amberpaw surpressed a snarl. _ShadowClan's fighting dirty! _

She realized that she couldn't see Snowpaw. _Probably behind me, fighting for his life like all of us. _

That was when she heard the yowl.

A ThunderClan patrol burst through the mossy hollow, giving her relief for a moment, before she realized that, at that precise timing, ShadowClan reinforcements had also arrived.

And Blackstar was leading it.

Hazeltail and Mousewhisker simutaniously leaped on Ratscar, which meant that Amberpaw was left opponent-less. Not that she was complaining (for once). Her paw burned with agony, and she wasn't sure she was able to drag herself to safetly.

Luckily, Brightheart was at her side in a moment. Looking at her paw grimly, she grabbed the tiny apprentice by her scruff and lifted her into the air, despite Amberpaw's protests. Ah, well. Her paw was more important than her pride.

As Brightheart examined her paw, Amberpaw asked, "Where's Seedflower?"

Brightheart sighed, and it sounded as if the senior warrior had given up. "Seedflower's back at camp, still traumatised by the death of Dustpelt."

Amberpaw bit back a yowl of annoyance. "Why?" she spat. "It's not like he was her _mate_, or something!"

Brightheart's single eye locked on her, filled with pain, possibly for Seedflower. "It was worse," she admitted.

Amberpaw blinked. "Huh?" she asked.

"Amberpaw, Seedflower's had a crush on him ever since she became a medicine cat apprentice!"

Amberpaw stiffened, shocked by this new tidbit of news. "But...but...he's _old!_" she weakly protested. "And she's _young!_"

Brightheart shook her head. "Love sets no bounderies."

"Still!" Amberpaw insisted. "And Dustpelt's had, like, a baquadrillion kits with Ferncloud! And Seedflower's a _medicine cat! _And Dustpelt still loves Ferncloud!"

"Exactly," Brightheart nodded. "Dustpelt's still hung up that Ferncloud is dead, so Seedflower decided not to approach him, and now she's devastated that he's dead, though he might be a little happy to be reunited with is family again."

Amberpaw sighed. "So Seedflower's not healing the Clan because the love of her life's dead." Amberpaw shook her head. "That's really annoying!"

"Good thing Briarlight and I know healing from Leafpool and Jayfeather," Brightheart shrugged, then gently prodded Amberpaw's (maybe?) broken paw with her own. "Here, I've finished the splint. I'll give you a few poppy seeds to relive the pain, then we need someone to carry you back to camp. You've sprained your paw~luckily you didn't break it. You'll have to wait possibly five sunrises before you can get back to training." Brightheart looked out at the mass of roaring cats. "But, then again, I don't see how _any _apprentice would be able to train when it's like that."

_Five sunrises? _Amberpaw thought. _I'll miss training! _She felt like complaining to go back to her apprentice duties, but she figured that she would just worsen her paw, so she stayed quiet.

"BLACKSTAR!" Amberpaw heard Bramblestar roar. She shuddered. Bramblestar could be quite terrifying at times. "HOW DARE YOU INVADE THUNDERCLAN TERRITORY!"

"ThunderClan is weakened because of the warriors that it left for some mousebrained journey," Blackstar retorted, albeit a little calmer. "And your medicine cat won't do a thing. Do not blame ShadowClan if we have simply chosen to take advantage of this situation."

More ShadowClan cats arrived. So much, that even Brightheart had to fight. Amberpaw sat there, feeling useless. She kicked the ground angrily. _Why can't I be _useful _when I need to be? _

"Do you need help getting back to camp?"

Amberpaw whipped around and two amber eyes locked. Snowpaw.

Amberpaw weakly shrugged, earning herself a yelp of pain when her leg touched the bark of a tree. "I...guess so."

Snowpaw's eyes were round with sympathy. "Did Ratscar do that to you?"

Amberpaw's curved claws quickly slid out of their sheaths and clawed at the ground, releasing all her fury at Ratscar.

Snowpaw laughed. A calming sound. "I take that as a yes."

Being picked up like a kit by Brightheart might've been a bit embarrassing, but with her son it was just downright mortifying. Somehow, Snowpaw managed to be larger than her, easily picking her up. Amberpaw squeezed her eyes shut for the entire journey, trying to pretend this was all just a bad dream.

All of a sudden, Amberpaw landed on a rocky ground with a surprised yelp and Snowpaw looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry," he meowed. "But you're back. I'd better get going." he cast a glance outside, then ran off.

Amberpaw groaned and glanced at her splint. It was wrapped tightly around her paw and strenghtened with long grass. A large stick poked out, which was probably the splint itself.

Amberpaw glanced around the herb store and quickly located the tiny black seeds. She knew them well, because when they were kits, she and Halfpaw snuck into the medicine cat's den and Halfpaw ate a few poppy seeds. She was yelled at by Jayfeather, but, oddly, he didn't say a thing at Halfpaw.

As Amberpaw crunched on the hard, black seeds, she started to feel a little woozy. Finding a ball of moss, she unrolled it and spread it evenly on the rocky cavern. She snuggled up in it and quickly fell asleep...

* * *

"Okay," Lionblaze straightened up and called at the six of them. "It's dawn. Ready to leave?"

Groans and murmurs greeted him. Clearly, the group was still to groggy to actually be cheerful.

Lionblaze sighed and licked his mate's ear. Cinderheart wearily leaned against him. Her belly was getting bigger.

"Come on," he encouraged. "We need to go."

Leafpool stretched. "He's right," she mewed, "Let's go."

Though Lionblaze was grateful that Leafpool watched after the group, he still wasn't sure if she was the Seven, or if he could ever forgive her. She had betrayed him far too much for that, right?

"Bye!"

"Visit soon!"

"Have a safe journey!"

"Take care!"

The Tribe yowled their farewells as the group plodded out of the mountains. Suddenly, he felt a prod in his mind.

Lionblaze's eyes immediately shifted to Jayfeather, but his blind brother didn't seem to do anything but make sure he didn't cut himself on a sharp rock, which he just did.

A cat kept rummaging through his mind, as if they were looking for something. His eyes flew to Halfpaw. _Tigerheart told me he could turn invisible, and Jayfeather doesn't look like he's doing it, so Halfpaw's the only one. _

As he looked at her, he felt a connection between their two minds and Lionblaze pushed her out of his mind, and was suddenly whirring through a whirlwind of memories.

"_Well, that's a mouthful of a name!" a pure white she-cat mewed at Jayfeather, her voice shaking. "Is this some kind of joke?" _

_Jayfeather sighed. "No, I promise you it isn't." he looked as if those six words were forced out. _

"_You came all this way to tell me this?" the white she-cat exploded. "Where did you get all these mousebrained ideas? Jay's Wing, I've shown you how I feel! Is it so awful that I might have wanted to have your kits? If you're not interested, why not turn me down, like any normal tom?" _

And Lionblaze was flying again, through the past.

_The same two cats were together again, but now they were much calmer. The white she-cat looked away, mewing, "You truly believe this, don't you?" _

_Jayfeather moved closer and brushed her ear with his muzzle. "Yes, I do. This is all meant to be. However much I wish things could be different._

_The white she-cat exhaled, making her whiskers fly as she shut her eyes and leaned against Lionblaze's brother. "You're going to leave me again, aren't you?" _

_Jayfeather sadly nodded. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could stay." he gave her ear another lick. "You will be a great Healer," he continued. "Let the moon and stars guide you. I promise everything will be okay." _

_The white she-cat opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I believe you, because I trust you." she murmured._

And then Lionblaze was gone again. The wind whipped at his fur, until he entered the (hopefully) final memory, where he sensed that the memory would be much shorter.

_A gray-and-white she-cat had her pelt beside Jayfeather's, whom Lionblaze recognized as Halfpaw. Lionblaze realized that she bore a striking ressemblance to the white she-cat. _Then the white she-cat must've been Half Moon, _Lionblaze thought._

_Lionblaze was right when he realized that the memory would be shorter. The only thing that the two cats said were, "I love you," _

And then Lionblaze collasped in a heap of golden fur. Some cat gasped, "Lionblaze!" but otherwise he heard nothing.

Suddenly, he felt a cat nudge him. It was Leafpool. "What happened?" she whispered. "Are you alright?"

Lionblaze nodded. "What...what happened?" he asked.

"Nothing," Tigerheart replied. "You just blanked out for a moment and _wham! _There you are on the ground."

Lionblaze's whiskers twitched at his sense of humour. Tigerheart sure knew how to lighten things up.

But there was only one cat who caught his attention. Halfpaw. She stood uncomfterably to the side, looking like someone had gleaned her deepest secrets. Reflecting, Lionblaze realized that Halfpaw's power was to be able to look into memories and read other cats' minds. Sorta like Jayfeather, maybe.

He sniffed. But Halfpaw's power came with a downside. While her mind was trying to get information from another cat's mind, the other cat could overpower her and temprorarily gain her powers. Lionblaze frowned. That wasn't very useful.

Lionblaze pulled himself back up and gestured with his tail. "So, Leafpool," he mewed casually (no need getting her hopes up), "Do we _have _to cross this Thunderpath to go to the old forest?"

Leafpool frowned. "I don't think so, but the Great Journey was many moons ago, when I was still a 'paw and all of you weren't even born." She looked to the side. "Weird," she commented. "See how the ground slopes down, and there isn't any Thunderpath there? We might have traveled through there, y'know, because the kits got confused a lot and wandered back onto the Thunderpath after we had crossed it."

Leafpool was right. Lionblaze could see that the ground _did_ slope downward, as if it was unstable. The Thunderpath had veered sharply off to the side and yellow and black metal connected to a stick was stuck in the ground where the Thunderpath turned.

Cinderheart nodded. "Okay, I'll go."

After she put only three paws forward, Lionblaze suddenly felt Dovewing stiffen and then yowl, "Cinderheart! _No!_"

But it was too late. The ground crumbled around the dark gray she-cat's paws and, with a muffled yelp, she fell.

Lionblaze's vision went black "NO!" he yowled, flinging himself forward blindly. "CINDERHEART!"

He felt teeth grab his scruff (with difficutly, no doubt) and yanked him back. Lionblaze saw that he was dangerously close to the hole.

"Get back!" Lionblaze heard Tigerheart growl. "What happens if _you _fall in, too?"

"Lionblaze!" Cinderheart yowled. "I'm all right, and so are the kits, but I can't get up. It's totally smooth, and it's _rock_."

Lionblaze stepped closer and examined the hole. "Wait a minute," he mewed cautiously. "This looks awfully like~"

"The tunnels that Rock used to live in." Jayfeather murmured beside him.

Dovewing's eyes stretched wide. "I've heard of these, but I've never imagined that it would go this far!"

Halfpaw's eyes were sad. "So many softpaws died trying to become sharpclaws. It wasn't worth it."

_No, _Lionblaze agreed grimly. _It wasn't. _

Leafpool's eyes were calculating. "Cinderheart, you're saying that you can't get back up, no matter what?"

"Yes!" was Cinderheart's panicked mew.

"Re_-lax_," Leafpool soothed. "_You _aren't getting out. _We_ are coming in."

Tigerheart blinked. "We are?" he asked.

"We _are_?" Dovewing echoed.

Leafpool nodded. "We can't get Cinderheart out. And~plus, you've said that the tunnels have holes. Every now and then we can look out to make sure we're going the right way."

"But what if it rains?" Jayfeather persisted.

Leafpool sighed. "Jayfeather, the leaves are already turning red, gold and brown. When it's leafbare, there won't be any rain. Only snow, and _that _won't be as life-threatening."

"All...right," Halfpaw agreed reluctantly.

Lionblaze took a deep breath. "I'll go first," he announced. He looked at the musty darkness, and thought about how Cinderheart would cope there, alone. He took a deep breath and plunged into the darkness...

* * *

**Ooh! The story is taking an interesting turn! Okay so REVIEW AND VOTE ON THE POLL! You know, I check my reviews daily. If you review less (and I've been noticing that lately) then I'll update less. I have at least 20 follows and favs so don't pretend that you don't exist!**

* * *

**Quote: **

_**"Fire will save the Clan...you never understood, did you? Not even when I gave you your apprentice name, Firepaw. And I doubted it myself, when fire raged through our camp. Yet I see the truth now. Fireheart, you are the fire who will save ThunderClan. You will be a great leader. One of the greatest this forest has ever known. You will have the warmth of fire to protect your Clan and the fierceness of fire to defend it. You will be Firestar, the light of ThunderClan." **_

_**-Bluestar, explaining the prophecy to Fireheart in "A Dangerous Path"**_

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**There! Y'all got your quote! From Bluestar! Okay, now bye!**

**-Sky**


	20. Eagleclaw

**Hello guys! Oh, and for the record, that WAS a threat -.- ...so hurry up and review! Thanx to Rainclaw99 for giving me some insight about the tunnels. You're awesome! This chappie isn't gonna get them anywhere, but it was neccesary. Now read and review!  
**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T...STOP...okay, fine. 'Idontownwarriors' *runs away***

* * *

_When Lionblaze 'heroically' leaped _into the hole, he didn't expect to _land _on Cinderheart.

"Ow! Lionblaze, get _off_!" Cinderheart screeched.

Lionblaze's ears twitched with 'pain'. "Okay, okay," he muttered. He looked up. It was still morning, but the light was getting brighter and brighter. Suddenly, Halfpaw shrieked, "OW!" and tumbled in, effectively squashing Lionblaze.

"Halfpaw?" Jayfeather was next, but he cleverly maneuvered himself so that he fell off to the side, wheras Lionblaze was on the underside of Halfpaw.

Tigerheart and Dovewing gracefully leaped down, their pelts blending together in a mass of brown and gray.

"Mmph!" Lionblaze muttered with a mouthful of fur as he gently shoved Halfpaw off. "Geez, Halfpaw, you're heavier than an overweight badger!"

Halfpaw playfully threw her paw back in a prissy-like way, but then yelped in pain. "Ow!"

Jayfeather was beside her in an instant. "Let me see your paw," he murmured, taking hold of Halfpaw's paw. He sniffed at it. "It's sprained, oddly~"

"~maybe because her legs were shorter?" Dovewing suggested.

Tigerheart rolled his eyes. "Halfpaw yelled, 'Ow' before she jumped in." the dark brown tabby tom didn't even bother to glance at the cat he was speaking to, and Lionblaze winced on Dovewing's behalf, who looked as if all her family and friends had just died at the same moment.

"~_and if two annoying cats would stop interuppting me,_" Jayfeather snarled sharply. Dovewing and Tigerheart both got the message and clamped their mouths shut. Lionblaze allowed himself a small purr. "Anyway," Jayfeather continued. "her paw has the tension of already being in a splint, which is weird, but is good, because we won't have to waste time looking for them, but someone has to carry Halfpaw."

"I'll do it," Lionblaze volunteered immediately, before Jayfeather could elect himself. The last thing he wanted was his blind brother to be wandering in some tunnels while carrying a cat that he _liked_, in that way.

Leafpool lead the way. Lionblaze had no idea how long they'd been wandering, but soon he realized that his belly was grumbling.

Leafpool purred as she sniffed the air. "It's sundown," she announced. "Let's get back up to the surface. I'll go with everyone but Halfpaw, Cinderheart and Jayfeather."

Lionblaze winced. _Bad choice, Leafpool._

Cinderheart yawned and teased him with a knowing glance. "I'm famished. I'd expect my mate to bring me something delicious. And hopefully he knows that I like squirrel the best."

Lionblaze groaned. "Am I supposed to get, like, _five_ squirrels to quell your humger?" he asked sarcastically.

"No," Cinderheart mewed, without a trace of sarcasm. "You have to get six fat ones."

Lionblaze groaned again as his paws worked furiously at the ceiling~which was only two tail-lengths higher than their heads. Eventually, it cracked and Lionblaze hoisted himself back aboveground.

* * *

Waiting took a long time~at least Jayfeather thought so. In the smooth, cave-like tunnels with only tiny holes (like that made a difference. He couldn't see, anyway) and a trickle of water here and there which Jayfeather was pretty sure no cat should drink (oh, with the exception of Breezepelt, Tigerstar, Brokenstar, Hawkfrost, more cats that he hated but couldn't remember now).

Slow, gentle breathing told him that the two she-cats that he was staying with were asleep. Gingerly, Jayfeather prodded Cinderheart's belly, and already he could feel at least four heartbeats.

"I'm just a burden, aren't I?"

Jayfeather almost jumped at the sound of Halfpaw's mew. He could sense her propped upright against the smooth, cave-like wall. Jayfeather bit his lip not to reply.

"Admit it. I'm just a burden that always seems to get myself in trouble, even with my past life."

"That was in the mountains," Jayfeather tried. "And you aren't used to the forest, or Thunderpaths."

Jayfeather felt Halfpaw shake her head. "You _led _us into the mountains. I had already spent time in the forest, remember?"

Jayfeather inwardly sighed. No use arguing with that.

"Jayfeather, sleep," Jayfeather didn't know if that was an order or a suggestion, but he shook his head.

"_I mean it_. Sleep. I'll take watch."

Jayfeather protested, "Bu~"

"Jayfeather, if you don't sleep right this instant, I will personally rip out your pelt and feed it to the wolves."

Jayfeather got the message and shut his eyes. Almost immediately he started to dream.

He was whirring through a path. It was deep underground, and even though he had no idea where he was going, he knew that it must've been important.

His vision darkened as he put on a burst of speed, and almost immediately he entered an underground grove. The place was spacious, and he saw two cats~one was a wiry brown she-cat with yellow eyes, and another had fiery ginger fur~the color of the leaves in leaf-fall. His paws were white and his eyes were a bright amber.

"Greetings. We have been waiting for you," they began in a single voice, before Jayfeather was whipped far away from them.

And now he saw a dark brown tabby tom~Tigerstar~prowling over a large rock and yelling at a large mass of Dark Forest warriors, "With our secret weapon, nothing can defeat us! It is stored in the most secure of locations!"

And then Jayfeather felt himself thrown in the past again, seeing four cats in an empty clearing with four trees in the middle. Two of them were the ones that he saw before, and the other two had silver-gray fur with green eyes and a thick-furred, muscular black she-cat with green eyes, though it wasn't Hollyleaf.

"This is our biggest secret," proclaimed the wiry brown she-cat. "No cat should know about this. Not even Sky."

The silver-gray tom nodded in agreement. "If it fell in the wrong paws, they could cause mass destruction and terror amongst our Clans."

Three cats pointedly looked at the black she-cat.

"What?" she snapped. "Even if I don't ressemble it, I _do _care for my Clan. After all, if I don't have a Clan to order, then who will serve me?"

The rest of the cats rolled their eyes.

The ginger tom rolled out a round thing, that was see-through, though had many carvings on it. Even in dream-state, Jayfeather could feel that it radiated power and the many carvings whispered things in words he couldn't decipher. It looked to be made of pure crystal.

"I tried testing it on one of my Clan's warriors, and now he's bloodthirsty for power," the black she-cat nodded in approval. "He will succeed me, that is for sure."

The silver-gray tom shuddered. "And yet that is no more than a tiny grain of sand on the side of a vast ocean." he murmured. "That was only one incantation, and yet I fear it has already overwhelmed the poor warrior."

"_Poor warrior_?" the black she-cat snarled. "That is _exactly _what ShadowClan needs to stay strong! And he will bear the power of...this strange object, whilst having the gift of nine lives! He will be Eagleclaw, leader of ShadowClan!"

The wiry brown she-cat shook her head. "Such foolish thinking will lead to your demise, Shadow."

The black she-cat~Shadow~pointedly turned her back on the brown she-cat. "Whatever you say, Wind," she scowled sarcastically.

The ginger tom sighed. "We need to hide this, but where? If we hide it in one of our territories, then the rest of us will distrust the Clan and will always suspect the Clan of using it."

"Thunder," mewed the silver-gray tom. "It's called an 'orb'."

Thunder blinked. "However did you know that, River?" he asked.

"Simple," River muttered. "Just press your ear against it. You will hear whispers, and you may find one in your language."

Shadow hesitantly pressed her ear against the orb for a few moments, then snapped back, spitting, "What is this treachery?"

Wind looked surprised, too. "It says, it says, 'The one that shall bear my power will be the one that falls with Lightning, Thunder'."

"Impossible!" Shadow shrieked. "_My _Clan is most powerful, not _Thunder's_! _I _should be the one to bear the power!"

"Wait!" River hissed, releasing his ear from the orb's hold. "It also says, _Seven of Thunder's blood will hold the power of the stars in their paws and ensure destruction and peace to Air, Sky, Darkness and Water._"

Wind blinked. "What odd words! Normally we only recieve phrases like that from StarClan."

"There's another one!" Thunder hissed. "_Seven must journey to the roots of the Four and seek great darkness that arises._"

Shadow gritted her teeth. "Listen to these Omens! They all speak of destruction! That is exactly why we shouldn't give the orb of power to Thunder."

"They speak of destruction, of course, but peace, too." Wind meowed. "Let's give it to Thunder. What harm could it be?"

Shadow simply snorted and padded away.

And Jayfeather woke up.

* * *

"We're _ba-ack_!" chanted Tigerheart as the four of them entered the hole that Lionblaze had dug.

Jayfeather groaned and woke up. Tigerheart couldn't help but notice that his eyes looked haunted, as if something had scared him.

"Say, Leafpool," Jayfeather started. Tigerheart noticed that Leafpool's ears perked up in anticipation.

"Have you heard anything about a cat named 'Eagleclaw'?" Jayfeather finished.

Leafpool frowned; Not that Tigerheart blamed her. It _was_ an odd question.

"Well..." Leafpool began. "Sorreltail's mother, Willowpelt, said that her mother had heard a story from one of the Clan's oldest elders~when Willowpelt's mother was a kit, of course."

"What was Willowpelt's mother's name?" Jayfeather inquired.

Leafpool frowned, looking like she was trying very hard to remember. "I recall it was...Swiftbreeze? Anyway, Swiftbreeze~back then Swiftkit~asked the oldest elder~who was over one hundred moons~ in the Clan for a story from ShadowClan, and the oldest elder~whose name was Emberleaf~ said, 'Well, my sister, Mapleshade (Swiftbreeze always commented about how her eyes darkened everytime she mentioned Mapleshade)...she always asked our mother about a story from ShadowClan, and my mother told me that she had heard it from _her _mother, and so on, back to the great age of Thunder, Wind, River and Shadow.' Then Swiftkit thought about how it was unnesscesary for the elder to stretch and all of a sudden fall asleep, because then, Swiftkit was oblidged to wake up an elder who was very cranky when she first woke up." Leafpool surpressed a _mrroww _of laughter.

"So then, Swiftkit had to ask the elder, again about a story from ShadowClan, and _now _Emberleaf started with the story. She said, 'Once, there was a kit. His name was Eaglekit, and he was a lot like other kits. When he was four moons he began training, because, by then, he was already bigger than most of the apprentices and even some of the warriors, so he became Eaglepaw.'

"'Eaglepaw excelled during his apprenticeship and became a warrior at the mere age of eight moons~'"

"Wow!" Tigerheart interuppted, and was earned a glare from mother and son. He quickly shrank back and flicked his tail for Leafpool to go on.

"Anyway, 'Eaglepaw became a warrior at eight moons and earned the name of Eagleclaw. Then, one day, the Clan leader, Shadow, told him to have a walk. Other cats said that they had heard a horrible shriek and a sudden glow of light in the pines,' and then, Swiftkit suddenly interuppted Emberleaf. 'How did ThunderClan get this story?' she had asked. 'From a Gathering, a long, long time ago,' Emberleaf had replied. 'Now, be quiet, pesky kit, or else I won't be able to finish this story.'

"So then Emberleaf had continued. 'Other cats said that they had heard a horrible shriek and a sudden glow of light in the pines. When Eagleclaw's mother, Bloodymist, arrived, Eagleclaw had pounced on her with glee and killed her.'

"'That's horrible!' Swiftkit had protested while Emberleaf shrugged. 'I would _never_, in a million moons, kill my mother!' Emberleaf had shushed her while she continued on. 'So, Eagleclaw pounced on Bloodymist and killed her. When his father, Stonenose, came to him and yelled at him, Eagleclaw simply killed him, too.'

"'Shadow refused to exile him, claiming that he had great potential. She had forced her deputy to step down so that she could appoint Eagleclaw as deputy. By now many cats feared him for murdering his parents. His name, Eagleclaw, spread throughout the Clans. Everytime a cat met him in battle, they would scream and cower in fear. Everyday, Eagleclaw's power became greater and greater, until his mind finally cracked.' Swiftkit meowed again, 'What does that mean?' Emberleaf sighed. 'It means that he went mad. Anyway, Eagleclaw finally went mad and went into a frenzy, killing all cats he could see. Lots of cats who didn't die say that his own pelt was bleeding, and he was slowly becoming bigger with every dead cat, until a great tremble in the earth happened and all the other cats fell over. When they opened their eyes, Eagleclaw was gone. His remains were scattered all over the place~'"

"Ew!" Dovewing shrieked while she was earned a sharp glare from five other cats, who were intently listening to the story.

Leafpool continued in the voice of Emberleaf, "'The cats all gathered up Eagleclaw's remains and dug him a hole, far away from ShadowClan. They say he lies at Carrionplace now, as a rat. He was a traitor to ShadowClan and Shadow threatened to murder any cat who dared to mention his name aloud.' Emberleaf stifled a laugh. 'Good thing he's dead, or I would've been dead long...' At that point, Emberleaf slumped and her breathing eased. She had died on the spot. Swiftkit always thought this was an omen to never mention Eagleclaw, but it had been entirely coincidental, as later, Swiftbreeze found out that Emberleaf was already on the point of death."

Leafpool exhaled. "And that is the story of Eagleclaw."

Halfpaw was the first to react by shuddering. "That was...disturbing." she finally finished.

Jayfeather's eyes were thoughtful. "Good night." he finally mewed.

"Wait!" Tigerheart yowled, but either Jayfeather didn't hear him or chose to ignore him. Probably the latter. "What about your fresh-kill?"

Jayfeather replied by snoring.

"Oh, and for the record, Cinderheart, I got _seven _fat squirrels," Lionblaze mewed.

"Fat? What do you mean, fat? These are skinnier than branches!"

* * *

**I thought I'd like a laugh after such a (sort of) gorey chapter. Anyway, REVIEW and VOTE ON THE POLL. And here's our fav part of the chapter!**

* * *

**Quote: **

_**"You have everything that **_**I _wanted, Sandstorm! A mate that loved me, kits that I could watch grow up and have kits of their own, the respect of my Clanmates! I should have had all that!"_**

**_-Mapleshade, snarling at Sandstorm in "The Last Hope"_**

* * *

**Ha! I thought it would be a little fitting after this chapter! Swiftbreeze never said anything epic, so I chose Mapleshade, the sister of Emberleaf instead. Oh, and Emberleaf was just some random cat that was neccesary for this chapter, BTW, not some character from Erin Hunter. **

**-Sky**


	21. Cognitor Omnia Quae

**With the exception of Rainclaw99, starstar412, Maxlin997, Guest, darkdreamsXsilentclaw and Warriors Fan1342 (and Patty Hillard and IrisTenebris caz there awesomeeeee) , SHAME ON YOOOOOOOOUUUUUUU! Only six reviews? C'mon, guys! We're aiming for 200! Oh, and xScarclawx BECAUSE THE TWO KITS IN THIS CHAPPIE THAT APPEAR ARE HIS! THANK YOU SCARCLAW!**

**Anyway, here's the newest chappie. I considered punishing the non-reviewers but I figured that would make my fic less popular, soo...CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY!**

**Disclaimer: I. Am. So. Mad. That. I. Only. Got. Six. Reviews. That. I. Will. Grit. My. Teeth. And. Say. I. Don't. Own. Warriors.**

* * *

_ThunderClan lost. _

Amberpaw woke up to the sound of defeated shuffling around the camp. Hurriedly, she scrambled out of the medicine cat's den, wailed in pain when her sprained paw landed on the ground, and hobbled over to the cats that were battling.

Brightheart was limping. Hazeltail had lost so much blood that she had to be carried by Mousewhisker and Foxleap. Mousewhisker and Foxleap hadn't fared so well, either. Foxleap favored his left paw and Mousewhisker had a patch of fur missing (which Amberpaw really didn't want to see). Bramblestar looked as if he was losing a life.

Amberpaw glanced at Sorreltail and Spiderleg. They were the worst of all. Sorreltail lay unconscious between Poppyfrost and Brackenfur, whilst Birchfall and Daisy (she didn't fight, of course) helped Spiderleg limp back to camp.

Then she found a certain white tom.

"Snowpaw!" murmured Amberpaw as she hobbled (at this point, she really hated hobbling) toward him. His fur was scored with deep scratch-marks, but _he was alive. _Amberpaw could almost jump with joy.

Snowpaw wearily licked her cheek. "They totally overwhelmed us. And..." Snowpaw's voice trailed off sadly. Amberpaw turned and gasped at a body Thornclaw and Graystripe (Amberpaw was surprised he survived the battle) was dragging in.

_Millie._

Graystripe's eyes were hollow with grief. Amberpaw couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. _He lost his first mate, lost his daughter, won't ever see his son again, and now he's lost his second mate. _

Briarlight dragged herself out the nursery den (it was where she slept, now that Seedflower was medicine cat) and began pressing cobwebs to any cat she could reach.

Bramblestar stumbled onto the Highledge. "Cats of ThunderClan!" even his voice sounded hollow. "Many of you have participated in the battle with ShadowClan. Some of you, however, haven't. I shall give the news now. ThunderClan has lost part of our territory to ShadowClan."

Yowls of disbelief and unhappiness sounded throughout the clearing. Bramblestar continued. "ThunderClan has declared war against ShadowClan, and we shall not lose to those mange-breeders!" Bramblestar finished with a yowl.

The cats echoed this yowl.

"For we are _ThunderClan_!"

Amberpaw looked darkly at them. _We may be ThunderClan, but that might not be enough._

Suddenly, a shriek split the air and Daisy ran into the nursery in a frenzy. "Icecloud's kitting!" she announced.

"But it's early!" Briarlight protested. "Her kits aren't due for a moon!"

Another howl sounded.

"Well, too late for that," Daisy sighed. "They're coming _now_!"

Briarlight attempted to drag herself, but she was held back by Brightheart. "Oh, no you don't," Brightheart mewed. "You can't help kit, remember? If you took the kits with your front paws, then you would fall."

Briarlight sighed. "I guess not," she admitted regretfully.

Screams echoed throughout the clearing.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Mousewhisker urged. "Go help Icecloud!"

Brightheart began running to the nursery, but then stopped. "I need to get Seedflower!" she muttered urgently.

"_What?_" Mousewhisker panicked. "What about Icecloud?"

Amberpaw sighed, and ran to the medicine cat's den as fast as her sprained paw could carry her. Inside, she heard Brightheart coaxing Seedflower to help Icecloud kit.

"C'mon, Seedflower, you're a medicine cat! Wouldn't you have a great reputation if you helped a queen kit by yourself? In fact, Icecloud's in labour _right now_! How convinient!"

Seedflower whispered, "I know you want me to help Icecloud kit, Brightheart, but I'm _not_. Not after Dustpelt's dead. Now that he's dead, nothing matters to me anymore. I just want to die so I can join him."

Amberpaw exploded in frustration. "Seedflower, you worthless piece of fox dung!" she snarled. "Could you actually think of cats other than _yourself_? I mean, every cat has a sense of duty. Just go out and help Icecloud kit!"

"That's not all," Seedflower responded, sounding as if she didn't care that Amberpaw had just brutally insulted her. "Icecloud is Dustpelt's daughter. Dustpelt and Ferncloud's. Not mine." she continued to whisper, "Not mine. Not mine. Why should I help her?"

"Because every cat has a sense of duty," Amberpaw repeated. "If you don't acknowledge that, you don't deserve to be called Seedflower, medicine cat of ThunderClan. If you abandon ThunderClan at critical time like this, then you will be simply Seed, rogue."

Amberpaw's words sunk in and Seedflower widened her eyes and sighed. "Well, I _guess _I'll help."

Brightheart had permitted Amberpaw to help with the kitting. "Thanks to you," she whispered. "ThunderClan has a medicine cat again."

As they entered, they were relieved to find that none of the kits had been kitted before. Amberpaw watched as Seedflower pressed a paw against Icecloud's swollen belly, ignorant to the white queen's howls of pain. "Two," she reported.

Seedflower turned to Icecloud. "Your muscles are working to push the kits out. After this strain, you'll have to push along with it," Amberpaw was amazed at how calm Seedflower sounded. She was truly a skilled and gifted medicine cat. ThunderClan was lucky to have her.

After Icecloud's belly convulsed again, Amberpaw could see Icecloud strain and she saw a sack connected to a cord that plopped out.

Amberpaw watched as Seedflower nipped the cord and delicately licked the sac until it popped, and a white-gray shape fell out. Seedflower quickly shoved it to Amberpaw. "Lick her fur the wrong way until she starts breathing," she ordered, before turning back to Icecloud.

Hesitantly, Amberpaw leaned down and licked her. The kit was soaked to the bone, and Amberpaw covered her in licks, trying to warm her. It seemed to take an eternity, but, finally, the kit squeaked and started breathing. Amberpaw placed her next to Icecloud's belly, where she latched on and started suckling.

Meanwhile, a second gray kit had come out, and Brightheart was licking her to life as Seedflower fetched borage from the medicine cat's den.

As the second kit started breathing, Amberpaw finally got a good look at them. The first one was white and gray she-cat, and the second was gray spotted with white.

Seedflower came back with a mouthful of borage. "Here," she mumbled, dropping the leaves near Icecloud's muzzle. "Eat. They'll help your milk come." She glanced at the two energetic kits, and commented, "Well, even though they were born early, they're unusually healthy." Seedflower sighed. "Well, I guess _that's _good."

As Icecloud licked up the leaves, Brightheart padded out the nursery and yowled, "Okay, Mousewhisker, you can see your kits now!"

Amberpaw quietly watched as the gray-and-white tom entered and almost immediately started licking Icecloud's face. "Oh, wow," he murmured. "Two beautiful she-kits!"

"They look like you," Icecloud added. "A _lot _like you."

Mousewhisker prodded the first she-kit; The gray-and-white one. "Her name could be..." Mousewhisker's mew trailed off as he paused, searching for a name. "Windkit," he finally finished. "Because, with her pelt merging together, it almost looks like wind, that is, if we could see it."

Icecloud nodded. "And this one will be Petalkit," she muttered, licking the head of her second daughter, the gray spotted-white one. "The spots that she has on her fur could be the tiny seeds that fall out of petals~or flowers, for that matter."

Mousewhisker nodded. "Windkit and Petalkit."

Three one-moon old kits looked at their new arrivals. "Wow, Windkit's pretty," Lightningkit commented before his eyes widened and his tail slapped over his mouth as his two sisters purred with amusement.

"Are they old enough so that we can fight them? Can we, can we?" Whitekit mewed energetically.

Daisy purred. "No, kits. They aren't old enough yet."

"But when will they be?" Whitekit whined.

"In a few moons, I'd say."

"A few moons!" Whitekit exclaimed. "That's gonna be a long time!"

Featherkit playfully bumped Whitekit. "Loosen up, old hag!"

"Old hag?" Whitekit asked. "Who are you calling old hag, old hag?"

Purring with amusement, Amberpaw exited the nursery.

* * *

When Dovewing woke, it was early in the morning~at least she thought so. She stretched out her senses to ThunderClan (she was able to reach it, surprisingly) she realized that the nursery was even more crowded.

_Icecloud's kitted! _

Dovewing couldn't help but purr. The kits looked no older than one day. One was white-and-gray and the other one was gray with lots of tiny white spots.

She realized that the other cats were beginning to stir. Lionblaze raised his head and yawned loudly, while Halfpaw, still half-asleep, gingerly tested her paw.

"It's a little better," she mewed, surprised. "I can put a little weight on it now."

Jayfeather nodded. "Good." Dovewing noticed that the normally cranky medicine cat looked tired, as if something bothered him. She shrugged. _Probably nothing important._

Leafpool flicked her tail at Tigerheart. "Wake up," she gently ordered. "We're moving."

Soon enough, the seven of them started trotting through the tunnels. Leafpool hoisted herself up to look aboveground, every now and then, to check that they were still on track.

"The branches are bare. There aren't any leaves anymore~they've all fallen. Pretty soon we'll have snow." she reported.

Suddenly Dovewing stopped. "The paths are going to split in to two." she muttered, and turned to Leafpool. "Which way will we go?" she asked.

Leafpool shrugged. "I might have to check."

As Dovewing predicted, the single tunnel suddenly split into two.

"Wow. Really, Rock?" Jayfeather murmured. "The softpaws are already really far from the exit. It really doesn't matter which one they'll choose. They're gonna die either way."

"Unless they turn around and go back," Halfpaw meowed.

"Which we aren't going to do." Leafpool said firmly. She sniffed the air, then tried clawing at the earth, to no avail. Oddly, it was now over four fox-lengths in the air. Even Lionblaze, with his powerful leg muscles, couldn't jump to reach it.

Tigerheart sighed. "Are we gonna die? 'Cause I don't wanna die."

Leafpool scented the air. "There's more of a breeze that way," she mewed, pointing into the right tunnel with her tail. "So let's try that way."

As the cats continued on, Dovewing was aware of an underlying stench. She drew out her senses and almost immediately she drew them back. _What are these? _

"Stop!" she shrieked, but it was too late. Three shady figures~bigger than cats~leaped out. Dovewing knew it was probably just her imagination, but she swore their eyes were bloodred.

_Is it a...groundhog?_

Dovewing had never seen a groundhog so big. It was longer than she and Halfpaw combined. And it's eyes, as she saw, were red.

The enormous groundhog roared and thrashed about, leaping on the plumpest meal~Cinderheart.

"You aren't touching a hair on her pelt, dirtface!" Lionblaze snarled as he leaped to fight.

"When groundhogs have no predators nearby, they can grow really big... At least that's what Midnight told me." Leafpool mewed.

"Nice to know," Jayfeather scowled sarcastically.

_Keep your attacks quick and short, _Dovewing reminded herself, going back many moons, when Hollyleaf had taught her to fight in the tunnels. _If you back up against the wall, then leap over, or else you're cornered._

Spitting, Dovewing pounced on the groundhog and tried to get a grip, but the groundhog's pelt was thick and sleek~a bad combination if you're trying to hold on. She fell over with a squeak as her claws scraped harmlessly across the pelt. Beside her, she glimpsed Tigerheart being thrown back with a hiss and felt a pang. Why did he hate her for liking Bumblestripe, anyway?

Lionblaze wasn't faring well, either. He darted here and there, trying to find a weak spot, and Dovewing could barely keep track of the flash of golden fur.

Suddenly, another rank stench filled the tunnel and Leafpool, about to attack the groundhog, had a sharp intake of breath.

_Badger! _

Another looming shape appeared; The large, hulking form of a badger. Dovewing's heart crumbled. How were they going to get out of _this_?"

Tigerheart let out a squeak and suddenly disappeared from view. Dovewing resisted to roll her eyes. _The groundhog and badger can still _scent _you, mousebrain!_

Leafpool let out a yowl of joy, startling the rest of the cats. "Midnight!" she exclaimed, before the badger snarled at the groundhog, grabbed it's neck between her teeth, and shook. The groundhog howled and squirmed, and when the badger dropped it, it scrambled away, eager to leave the pain.

Leafpool bowed her head. "Thank you, Midnight. How did you know we were here?"

Midnight grunted, "Midnight hear whispers of stars. Prophecy Midnight heard long ago. Groundhog cannot stop destiny." Midnight sighed suddenly, sounding despressed.

"What is it, Midnight?" Lionblaze asked. Dovewing remembered that Midnight had helped in the final battle against the Dark Forest. _Well, not-so-final anymore, _she thought.

"You have hard journey ahead." Midnight's eyes suddenly locked on Cinderheart, blazing and intense. "You especially suffer pain."

A flicker of worry momentarily descended among the eight.

Midnight turned to Jayfeather. "You recieve dream?" she inquired.

Jayfeather bleakly nodded. "Did it actually happen?" he asked.

Midnight snorted, to every cats' surprise. "Is sun bright?" she retorted.

"Wait," Dovewing heard herself ask cautiously. "What dream?"

Then she had to listen to Jayfeather explain the contents of what he dreamed. When he was finished, Dovewing's jaws were hanging open and she couldn't close them, like other cats. They were every bit as speechless as she was.

"I assume you aren't dazzled by my beauty?" Jayfeather asked sarcastically.

"Hardly," Tigerheart was the first to mumble.

Lionblaze rolled his eyes. "Jayfeather, is it really that hard to tell us what happened in your dreams/visions/signs/signs from the Dark Forest/signs from StarClan after you recieve them?" he asked.

Jayfeather struck a mock thinking position. "Let me se~_no_." he shot back.

"So, Midnight, what was the crystal orb?" Leafpool questioned, ignoring her sons' lighthearted quarrel.

Midnight shook her large head. "It made not of crystal. It made long long ago, by very wise cat name Cognitor Omnia Quae."

"That's a long name." Halfpaw mewed. "Did he shorten it to Co...Con...Cog..."

"Cognitor?" Midnight asked. "Cognitor Omnia Quae did not. He went by Cognitor Omnia Quae."

"We can _see _that," Tigerheart muttered.

Midnight continued, ignoring Tigerheart. "Cognitor Omnia Quae was blessed. He know many, many things and incantations that even Twolegs no not. He very kind and look out for weak, too. He live at beginning of time, where evil was very little. He take ancient stone, name lapidem. Cognitor Omnia Quae carve lapidem and make it smooth and round. He say that million moon later cats will need." Midnight briefly closed her eyes. "Very long million moon indeed."

"Did Cognitor Omnia Quae possess our...abilities?" Cinderheart asked.

Midnight nodded. "That and more. Powers that cat here have are thanks to Cognitor Omnia Quae."

"Did you know Cognitor Omnia Quae?" Leafpool queried.

Midnight nodded. "Yes, very much."

"Did you call him Cog...did you call him by his name?"

"That I did not," Midnight softly growled.

"Then what did you call him?"

"I call Cognitor Omnia Quae mate."

* * *

**Well, a badger and a cat. Interesting. Anyway, Cognitor Omnia Quae(or Cogy for short because his name is loooong) was sort of like a god to most cats, and he will be referred to many times. Maybe I'll even give him a brief appearance.**

* * *

**Quote:**

_**"I have traveled far, and many tongues have learned. Tongues of other cats, who speak not same as you. Of foxes and rabbits also. They speak not of intrest. Fox talk is all of kill. Rabbit has thistledown for brain." **_

_**-Midnight, explaining her knowledge of speech to Brambleclaw in "Midnight"**_

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**Blech. It's hard imitating Midnight-speech. Anyway, if you review THIS TIME I may forgive you...oh, and 'Cognitor Omnia Quae' means 'Learning All' and 'lapidem' means 'stone'. Try to figure out (if ur a member of FF, not anons, sorry) what language they're in! If you get it right, you'll get a hint (by PM, and answers will also be by PM, NOT review, caz ppl might look there for answers) who the seventh cat is!**

**AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE ON THE POLL ON MY PROFILE PAGE!**

**-Sky **


	22. Collapsed

**Heyy! Back! Anyway, this chapter might make you cry, so get your tissues! Anyway, the contest is still open...so..yeah!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors! *sobs because I don't and because of this chapter***

* * *

_It had been a moon _since ThunderClan and ShadowClan had been at war, and now it was the night of the Gathering, which Amberpaw hoped with all her heart that all of ShadowClan would die of a horrible accident and not go.

Well, that wasn't going to happen.

During the day, Spiderleg made her hunt, and Amberpaw could barely register the hurtful words that Spiderleg yelled at her when she accidently missed a mouse. But at the end of the day, Amberpaw held a vole, a starling, and a tiny shrew. Spiderleg himself had two plump rabbits and a thrush.

Spiderleg nodded to show that he approved of her catches that day, and mentor and apprentice made their way back to camp.

Back in the stone hollow, Amberpaw dropped her prey and trotted over to where Snowpaw was waiting.

"Did you notice anything..._unusual _with Spiderleg's behaviour today?" Snowpaw asked.

Amberpaw blankly stared at him. "No," she mewed. "Why?"

Snowpaw chuckled. "Just watch him."

In the shade of the stones, Amberpaw's eyes darted to Spiderleg. Her mentor was also dropping his prey in the fresh-kill pile, but kept a rabbit. She watched as he hesitantly padded over to the nursery, where Squirrelflight, Icecloud and Daisy were resting, half-in, half-out.

As Spiderleg got closer, Daisy's eyes darted toward him, hostile but letting him approach. Squirrelflight and Icecloud exchanged amused glances and returned to the back of the nursery.

Luckily, Amberpaw and Snowpaw were near them, so they heard every word the two meowed.

"What do you want?" Daisy scowled, unusually curt. She was normally gentle and kind, but Spiderleg was the exception.

Spiderleg nervously shuffled his paws. "I...uh, I just wanted to ask if...if..you wanted to share?" he mewed, nudging the rabbit.

Daisy's eyes widened and Amberpaw could hear snickers at the back of the nursery. _No doubt Squirrelflight and her partner-in-crime, Icecloud._

"S-s-sure," Daisy stammered. Spiderleg purred as they settled down, and Amberpaw tried not to snicker.

"It's funny, but cute," she admitted to Snowpaw.

"ThunderClan!" Bramblestar suddenly yowled from the Highledge. "I will annouce who will go to the Gathering tonight: Berrynose, Sorreltail, Foxleap, Brackenfur, Dewpaw, Snowpaw, Brightheart, Blossomfall, Ivypool, Whitewing, Hazeltail, Amberpaw and Birchfall."

Amberpaw's hopes sunk. She was meeting ShadowClan.

"Aww! But Squirrelflight! We wanna go! We're big enough!" Amberpaw heard the kits whine as Squirrelflight purred.

"No, kits. You'll have to wait five more moons before that happens." Squirrelflight chided them.

Amberpaw pulled herself to her paws and Snowpaw followed suite. "We're leaving," Snowpaw called to his brother.

Amberpaw had never gone to a Gathering before~even though she was close to eight moons. The last Gathering no apprentices had been allowed because tensions were so high in ShadowClan. And the moon before that, she was being punished for yelling at Purdy, and before that, she was a new apprentice. Of course she wasn't going to go.

But now, walking through WindClan territory, Amberpaw observed how WindClan was so open. _It'll be hard to launch a surprise attack if we ever need one. _But with ThunderClan still at war with ShadowClan, Amberpaw couldn't see the sense in making WindClan their enemy, too. In fact, if ShadowClan and WindClan allied, ThunderClan would be surrounded. Amberpaw made a mental note not to provoke WindClan at the Gathering.

Soon, Amberpaw found herself walking on the pebbly shore. She looked at an old, rotten trunk of a tree stretching across the water. As Snowpaw leaped on it, he wobbled, but dug his claws in.

_Gulp. _Her turn.

Slowly, Amberpaw placed one paw on the slippery, old bark. Immediately she unsheathed her sharp claws and hooked them in the tree. Paw after paw, she let out a sigh as she leaped off and landed on the Gathering island.

"C'mon!" Snowpaw beckoned, already running off. Amberpaw let out a half-frustrated, half-amused hiss as she dashed after him. She skidded to a halt as she entered a clearing, with a white tom waiting for her.

A great oak stood in the middle. Many cats surrounded it, mingling their many scents, but Amberpaw could tell that ShadowClan and RiverClan were already here. _Why _ShadowClan_? _Amberpaw silently begged.

As Amberpaw hesitantly made it over to some RiverClan apprentices, she stopped in her tracks when she heard a yowl, "Hey, ThunderClan!"

Amberpaw turned around to see a light brown she-cat with amber eyes running over to her. She stank of ShadowClan and Amberpaw heard Snowpaw growl and inch closer to her. Yes, tensions really were high now.

"So, where's your _kittypet_?" the apprentice taunted. "Oh, right, she's dead."

White-hot fury washed over Amberpaw as she remembered Millie. _How dare she? And Millie's dead _because _of them!_

The brown apprentice apparently didn't see the murderous look blazing in Amberpaw's eyes. "Wow, ThunderClan is _weak_. I heard Ratscar beat both that she-cat," the apprentice pointed with her tail to Hazeltail, "And another tom, singlepawed!"

"Burnetpaw!" Amberpaw saw two, younger apprentices run up to her. They were both toms, and looked alike. _Maybe littermates?_

"Marshpaw, Heavypaw," the brown she-cat, Burnetpaw greeted. "I'm just here telling these _stupid _ThunderClan apprentices that they're weak."

Amberpaw growled. "Say that one more time and your ears will get clawed off!"

"What?" Burnetpaw mewed, smirking. "That you're~"

"Let the Gathering begin!"

Amberpaw could almost hug WindClan for coming right on time. She wasn't sure if she wanted to rip out Burnetpaw's insides and scatter them everywhere with every cat watching.

Amberpaw waited patiently as the leaders reported, until the bushes that surrounded exploded open to reveal a cat.

The cat had blue eyes, but that was all Amberpaw could tell. He smelled of ThunderClan. There was so much blood that his fur looked red and he spluttered, "B-bramblestar...ShadowClan's...attacking..."

Bramblestar let out a yowl of fury and shot a furious glare at Blackstar, before spitting over his shoulder, "ThunderClan is leaving!"

_For some reason, ShadowClan craves ThunderClan's blood. ThunderClan is dying because of it. Someone needs to stop it. But how?_

And then a cat pounced on Amberpaw, and they wrestled, snarling. The rest of ThunderClan ran on, oblivious to her. She spat and hissed at her attacker. _Burnetpaw!_ She kicked forcefully with her hind legs, and her eyes widened as she clung on to Amberpaw. They rolled and rolled until Amberpaw felt slimy, cold water on her fur. Realization sunk into her as she let out a shriek and plunged into the lake.

* * *

The frost bit into Cinderheart as she stumbled after her companions. It had been a moon since Midnight had visited them, and then she had disappeared, leaving them to ponder about Cognitor Omnia Quae.

And finding out that they were mates...it was odd. A cat and a badger? And where was Cognitor Omnia Quae now, anyway? Cinderheart was pretty sure StarClan didn't exist when he died, and she wasn't completely sure if he _was _dead, anyway, like Midnight was still here.

Cinderheart looked with growing dismay at the pile of snow they had to walk across. Surely they couldn't expect Cinderheart to cross that? Not while she carried an extra weight in her belly. Her kits were heavy enough. Maybe five?

Halfpaw's paw had healed long ago, and now she was walking just as easily. As Cinderheart looked up at yet another hole, she saw stars twinkling.

And then Halfpaw yelped.

Cinderheart's head snapped up, looking at her. Her pelt was drenched and her eyes bulged out, as if she couldn't breathe. Jayfeather ran over and tried to dry her, but it was no use. With every paw-swipe she just got wetter.

"Halfpaw... Do you have any idea what happens when...something like this happens?" Leafpool inquired.

Halfpaw shook her head. "It's like I'm in a different body when this happens... A different situation."

Leafpool frowned. "Odd."

Halfpaw's pelt got slightly less sodden and she inhaled deeply. "Oh, that's better."

"Anyway, can we settle in for the night?" Dovewing asked, yawning. "It's already nighttime."

Leafpool nodded. "Sure," she mewed.

Lionblaze automatically curled around Cinderheart, and Cinderheart rejoiced in the warmth seeping into her. She licked his ear affectionately before falling into a dream...

"Cinderheart."

Cinderheart opened her eyes to see an identical she-cat staring at her. Cinderpelt. Cinderpelt held an air of sadness around her, and her pelt was incredibly faded.

"Cinderpelt?" Cinderheart asked curiously. "What are you doing here?"

Cinderpelt exhaled, letting out all her sorrow. "I'm sorry, Cinderheart. I truly am."

Cinderheart was puzzled. "For what?" she asked.

Cinderpelt looked into her eyes. "You will suffer great pain. You will curse my name and wish it had never happened, but, hear me, Cinderheart. Despair will plague your heart, but don't let go to the cats that love you."

_Sorreltail, Brackenfur, Molepaw, Honeyfern, Poppyfrost, Lilystone, Seedflower... _Cinderheart's heart warmed at the last name.

_Lionblaze._

"Cinderpelt," Cinderheart asked curiously. "Midnight also told me that I'll suffer pain, but what do you mean?"

Cinderpelt shook her head. "That, I am forbidden to answer. I just need to tell you that, if I had decided it, it wouldn't happen. But we must all listen to the words of Cognitor Omnia Quae."

Cinderheart felt her eyes bulge. "Cognitor Omnia Quae?" she asked.

Cinderpelt nodded. "He's sort of like a leader in StarClan, but also in the Tribe of Endless Hunting, and all the other...ones. He controls how cats die~"

"Wait!" Cinderheart cut in. "He controls how cats _die_? How could he?"

Cinderpelt sighed. "You would be surprised how sad he is every time he kills a cat. Imagine, every death on your conscience. Unless it's murder, he has taken lives of cats, only because they're neccesary."

"_Neccesary_?" Cinderheart exploded. "What about Swiftpaw, in the old forest? I remember stories about him. He was still an apprentice!"

"Cinderheart," Cinderpelt mewed gently. "Imagine if Swiftpaw didn't die. Then ThunderClan would've underestimated the dogs. If they did, then many more cats would've died. Cognitor Omnia Quae always makes the lesser sacrifice. If it's a choice between a cat and a Clan, which would be the more sensible option?"

"The Clan," Cinderheart mumbled.

"And what about a kit and a warrior?"

"A kit."

Cinderpelt nodded. "So, please don't believe that your pain was caused for nothing."

And she woke up.

Snowflakes delicately fell through the hole at the top. After some struggling, Cinderheart managed to get past the hole and the group continued on. Cinderpelt's words rang through her ears. _Please don't believe that your pain was caused for nothing. _

As they trotted onward, Cinderheart suddenly saw a speck of light at the end of the tunnel. "Is that~" she started, but Tigerheart beat her to it. He let out a yowl of joy and bounded toward the opening. The rest followed suite and Cinderheart struggled to keep up. It was so far! She felt herself falling farther and farther.

Suddenly, Cinderheart felt a tremble in the earth and she fell over with a yowl. The others, surprised, forgot about her and made a bee-line for the exit.

_Earthquake!_

Cinderheart pushed herself up, wincing when she felt bruises. She ran as fast as she could, but the exit was still to far. She let out a cry when a falling rock scraped her side, oozing blood.

"Cinderheart!"

Cinderheart's head jerked up, watching Leafpool running toward her. _Don't save me!_ She begged. _Save yourself!_

Lionblaze was at the exit, and Dovewing and Tigerheart forbidded him to enter. It was up to Leafpool now.

"Come on, Cinderheart. You can do it," Leafpool encouraged. "Don't give up!"

With Leafpool at her side, Cinderheart stumbled forward, letting out a second cry as the sharp, pointy stones ripped her pads. _Let me die... I'm going to die. This must be what Cinderpelt was talking about._

Leafpool shoved her forward, and Cinderheart scrabbled for a paw-hold, feeling her kits bounce in her belly. _Her kits!_ She couldn't let her kits die because their mother was such a mousebrain! With renewed strength, Cinderheart pushed herself forward, running until her breath came in short, quick gasps.

A large stone that Cinderheart had failed to see shoved her over, and another falling rock pinned her there. Leafpool rushed at her side, frantic.

"Please, please, please don't let my kits die," Cinderheart begged.

Leafpool's eyes were filled with determination. "I won't," she promised.

"Leafpool!" Jayfeather yowled from the entrance. "Watch out!"

Leafpool ignored her son. She shoved against the rock pinning Cinderheart down and it shifted, setting Cinderheart free. Before Cinderheart could react, Leafpool pushed her with all her might and sent Cinderheart spiraling out the exit. Her vision when dark as she heard a rock connect with rock.

When her vision cleared, Leafpool was still inside, panting heavily. She lay on the ground, and...

"Leafpool! Your leg!" Cinderheart gasped.

Leafpool's leg was pinned under an enourmous rock, much too big for them to move. Leafpool's struggles were futile, and after a bit of jerking, Leafpool seemed to realize that too.

Leafpool locked eyes with Lionblaze. "Forgive me." she begged both her sons. "Please forgive me for abandoning you and lying to you. ThunderClan needed a medicine cat, and I needed to do my duty."

Lionblaze's eyes softened toward her and he nodded, murmuring. "I forgive you."

"I forgive you, too." Jayfeather echoed.

Cinderheart blinked, confused. "Wait," she mewed, "Why are you saying th~" suddenly, she understood, and shrieked, "No!" flinging herself at the cave entrance.

Lionblaze's teeth clutched at her scruff suddenly, letting the weight of her belly bounce again. Cinderheart struggled to free herself. "No! No! No!" she yelled at Leafpool, who bore a sad look in her eyes.

"I have no regrets," she breathed, looking at Lionblaze and Jayfeather. "Now that my sons have forgiven me."

And then the ceiling crumbled, crushing Leafpool. As the dust cleared, the she-cat's body was nowhere in sight, and the only thing that proved she ever existed was the blood that was oozing out from beneath the rocks.

Cinderheart sobbed, "No! Leafpool..." tears trickled down on her cheeks. Leafpool had been a cat that Cinderheart had held dear throughout her life. And now she was gone. Because of her.

"No!" Cinderheart yowled, not caring who saw her. She flung herself on the ground and sobbed, then gasped in pain as her belly began to convulse.

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**Ooh! Cliffie! AND REVIEW! DON'T FORGET!**

* * *

**Quote: **

_**"It's just a feeling I have. I can't explain it. A feeling that Lionpaw's making a mistake that's been made before, that should never be made, that only leads to trouble..."**_

_**-Cinderpaw, saying her thoughts to Hollypaw in "Dark River"**_

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**AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW AND VOTE ON THE POLL ON MY PROFILE!**

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**-Sky**


	23. Pain

**Haii! This chapter might be a little angst-y, but whatever! It'll get happier (hopefully...). So...just READ and REVIEW! Cuz Sky will be very angry if you don't do both.**

**Disclaimer: Sky's still watching you, and hyptonising you into reviewing while saying that she doesn't own Warriors.**

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_Lionblaze watched in horror _as his mate fell to the ground in great gasps, all while her belly twitched and convulsed.

"Is she...is she _kitting_?" Halfpaw asked with a slight tremble in her voice.

Jayfeather groaned. "It's early! It's _way _too early. The kits might have some problems if it's this early."

Cinderheart shrieked in pain.

Dovewing nudged Tigerheart. "C'mon, let's go find some stuff to warm the kits up." the pair ran away, along with Halfpaw.

Cinderheart's breath was coming in raggedy gasps now. "It~it h-_hurts_..." she moaned, screaming again.

Then the blood came.

It pooled everywhere, staining the white snow red. Lionblaze lifted his own paw, which was slick with blood. Cinderheart's blood. He felt faint. "Do something!" he yelled at Jayfeather.

Jayfeather's blind blue eyes fixed on him. "Get cobwebs," he ordered. Lionblaze obeyed, swabbing his paw with some cobwebs on the cave entrance. Where Leafpool lay...his mother's blood was still visible, trickling a steady stream, though Lionblaze heard no breaths.

_This is real, _he thought. _My mate might die and Leafpool is dead. This is actually happening._

He ran back, giving Jayfeather the cobwebs. Jayfeather quickly pressed them against the blood, but there was too much. The flow of blood became a river.

Cinderheart coughed, and her whole body shook. She gasped and then shrieked as a tiny bundle slithered out into the snow.

"I'm back!"

Lionblaze lifted his head to see Halfpaw running toward them, with moss clamped between her jaws, soaking wet. She placed it near Cinderheart's muzzle and Lionblaze's mate weakly lapped at the water, before exploding into another coughing fit.

Jayfeather reached down, nipped the cord and licked open the sac, but the kit that tumbled out looked motionless. Cold. Dead.

"Stillborn," Halfpaw whispered with horror.

Cinderheart looked at her kit and let out a wail, but not before her belly convulsed a second time and another sac slipped out.

Jayfeather looked like he was bracing himself as he nipped the cord and licked open the sac.

The kit that fell out hit the snow and squeaked loudly. Cinderheart purred weakly and Lionblaze picked up his daughter licking her and trying to keep her warm. The sticky, red blood had clotted his kit's fur, and he would have to lick it out later.

Three more bundles quickly slid out as Cinderheart howled in pain. At that moment, Dovewing and Tigerheart emerged, with Twoleg pelts.

"Why Twoleg?" Lionblaze asked through the scruff on his kit.

"They're warmer," Tigerheart explained with a shrug, then his eyes widened as he saw Cinderheart, panting, surrounded by blood with her eyes closed. "Is-is she...?"

"She's alive," Jayfeather confirmed. "Lucky for us, and the kits."

Dovewing and Tigerheart patted a lump of Twoleg pelts around Cinderheart's belly and Lionblaze placed all five kits on it. Three suckled weakly, another weaker still, but the last one was completely motionless.

"That one's dead," Halfpaw mewed in a small voice.

"Oh," Dovewing whispered.

Suddenly, the weaker kit let out a sigh, before tumbling off of the Twoleg pelt and landing in the snow.

"No!" Lionblaze yowled. His paws, shaking, dug though the snow and he quickly located his kit. She was shivering now, squeaking and waving her tiny golden paws. She was the spitting image of her father.

"C'mon, little kit," Lionblaze whispered, licking her. "You'll be alright."

But after a few moments, the kit shuddered and stilled. Lionblaze felt for her heartbeat. There was none.

"She..she's dead," Lionblaze mumbled, not quite sure what he was seeing. Surely he didn't just see his daughter die? StarClan wouldn't be as cruel as to take his kits' lives, would they?

Cinderheart looked weak, but surprisingly calm. "Let's name her as she leaves us," she whispered, eyeing her now-deceased daughter. "How about...Starkit?"

Lionblaze nodded. "Starkit it is." He looked at her, gaze filled with pain. "Goodbye, Starkit. May you have a good life in StarClan."

A little while later his two dead kits were buried. He couldn't stand to look at his stillborn kit, or Starkit. It was just too painful.

"Let's not name the other three kits," Cinderheart murmured. "Not now, at least."

Lionblaze quietly agreed.

After a while, Tigerheart broke the silence. "How are we going to travel now?" he asked, looking at the three remaining kits. "They're too young to travel."

Halfpaw's eyes lit up. "I've got an idea," she meowed energetically. All the cats watched as she slowly took one of the Twoleg pelts~the bigger one~and spread it under Cinderheart, making a layer between her and the dirt. Then she straightened it out until Cinderheart and the kits were lying in the middle of a square. Finally, she grabbed the second Twoleg pelt and wrapped it securely over the kits. "To keep them warm," she explained.

"And now we're done." Halfpaw mewed proudly. "Four cats have to grab the corners with their jaws to carry Cinderheart and the kits, and then we can continue!"

"Halfpaw," Dovewing mewed kindly. "That's brilliant! Now we can continue without harming the kits."

Tigerheart nodded. "We'll need strong cats for this," he said. "Lionblaze, Dovewing, Jayfeather and I will carry her."

Jayfeather grumbled something about medicine cat abuse, but obeyed nonetheless. Cinderheart's bleeding had stopped, at least, which meant that the Twoleg pelt stayed it's bright blue splash of color.

As Lionblaze carried the pelt within his jaws, he heard Cinderheart silently crying for Starkit and the stillborn kit.

* * *

Icy cold water splashed her pelt, making Amberpaw shudder. Beside her, Burnetpaw's amber eyes were filled with alarm as she thrashed about within the lake. _This is all _your _fault! _Amberpaw thought, her teeth already bared.

Using her powerful muscles, Amberpaw swam toward Burnetpaw and sank her teeth in Burnetpaw's scruff. Growling, she flung Burnetpaw as high as she could, sending the brown apprentice sailing though the air.

"_Aaaaahhhhhhh!_" Burnetpaw shrieked, her body flying in the night air. Another dark brown tabby tom~Toadfoot, she guessed~stepped forward. "Burnetpaw!" he called with alarm.

"Toadfo~_ahhhhhh_!" she screamed again as she was plunged in the cold water. _How do you like that, mouse dung? _Amberpaw inwardly snarled.

As her claws slid out to cut Burnetpaw before throwing her again, Toadfoot appeared in the water. Amberpaw gritted her teeth. They were purposely separating her from her Clan. _Cowards! _

Using strong thrusts, Amberpaw was aware of Mapleshade's presence beside her, urging her on. _C'mon! Move! Stronger thrusts! Do you _want _to be ShadowClan crowfood? _

The moment Amberpaw's paws hit earth, she shot off running, not caring that she was straying in the middle of WindClan territory. She ran so fast, the moors and long grass blurred until the only thing she saw was ThunderClan territory.

She cleared the river in a huge leap, and collapsed on the other side, breathing heavily. She was then aware of the shrieking, snarling and trampling on her territory. _Just as...was that Cloudtail? Just as Cloudtail said. _

Still panting heavily, she snarled in surprise as a tortoiseshell tom bowled her over. _Marshpaw! _ShadowClan apprentices were starting to get on her nerves.

Hooking her claws deep in his flesh, Amberpaw then kicked out forcefully with her hind legs, leaving Marshpaw howling. His flesh stayed in her claws, though, which meant that he was still in clawing range.

Amberpaw bit at his belly, the soft, exposed flesh. Marshpaw howled again and ripped free, sending blood flying. Amberpaw felt no wounds~she was too angry at ShadowClan to feel anything.

"Please...please, mercy!" Marshpaw whimpered, already cowering in a tree. "It wasn't even Blackstar who told us to do it. It was Ratscar~the new deputy."

_Ratscar! _The worthless rat-faced (no pun intended) scoundrel had caused the war between ThunderClan and ShadowClan, which resulted in Millie's death. Snarling, she took another step forward, slow and deliberate, letting her curved claws gleam in the moonlight.

"Please...let me go!" Marshpaw begged. Amberpaw felt her heart soften. This apprentice may have been older than she was, but she was easily the same size as he was. And with her fur fluffed up to twice the size, she was easily bigger than him.

"Tell Ratscar not to mess with ThunderClan," Amberpaw growled, lashing out with her claws unsheathed. One claw caught on Marshpaw's jaw and ripped down toward his chest. "There. Tell him it will be much worse if ShadowClan dares continue."

Whimpering, with his new scar gushing blood, Marshpaw fled.

Dark spots suddenly danced thoughout Amberpaw's eyes, and she lifted them to see a dark gray tom glaring at her. _Heavypaw, Marshpaw's brother. _

"Oof!" Amberpaw groaned. "No wonder they call you _Heavy_paw!"

The large gray apprentice growled. "I saw what you did to my brother."

"He was invading ThunderClan territory," Amberpaw retorted. "I had to drive him out."

"Not that brutally," Heavypaw hissed.

Amberpaw's claws slid out. "Get off me," she growled.

"You shouldn't have hurt my brother so much," Heavypaw continued, ignoring her.

Amberpaw's temper flared up. "Get off me!" she snarled.

Heavypaw remained oblivious to Amberpaw's anger. "Marshpaw~"

With a snarl, Amberpaw bit into his neck.

Heavypaw howled and writhed, before Amberpaw let go, looking at her work. Two deep puncture marks stood out in Heavypaw's gray fur.

"Get out," Amberpaw meowed simply. Heavypaw didn't hesitate and dashed away.

Once the last of the ShadowClan stragglers were gone, Amberpaw limped toward the hollow, where Seedflower, Brightheart and Briarlight were running (or, in Briarlight's case, dragging) themselves back and forth, stopping bleeding and cleaning wounds.

Then she smelled the strong odor of mint.

Slowly, Amberpaw turned around, barely registering the dead body that lay in the middle of ThunderClan camp. Daisy sobbed openly, and Spiderleg wrapped his tail around her.

It was Mousewhisker.

* * *

The pain was finally over.

Cinderheart woke up to her three kits suckling at her belly. It had been three days since they were born. Three days since Starkit's death.

Starkit...her heart ached for her young kit, looking small in death. She had her whole life ahead of her, but now she was dead. She looked at her three remaining kits. _I won't ever, ever, ever let anything happen to you, _she promised.

It was twilight, and Lionblaze was keeping watch. He turned around at Cinderheart's movement and padded over to her, giving her ear a lick.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked gently.

Cinderheart nodded, mute. She rested her tail on his cheek as her kits squirmed around her belly, mewling for milk.

"Lionblaze...I have to thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have continued as a warrior. Without you, I wouldn't have had a mate. Without you, I wouldn't have been a mother, to these three lovely kits...and Starkit."

Lionblaze sighed. "I wish she was still alive."

Cinderheart's eyes then flickered over to her kits. They were wriggling, and, to her astonishment, the first one~a tom~opened his eyes. A deep amber, his were.

The other two followed suite, and Cinderheart purred, covering them with licks. Her eyes flickered over to the first tom. "Shall we name him Sootkit?" she asked.

Lionblaze nodded. "Okay."

Sootkit was a dark gray tom~darker than Cinderheart, with pale gray stripes winding in a spiral shape around his pelt. His amber eyes mirrored Lionblaze's.

"This one will be Morningkit," Lionblaze murmured, nudging a white she-kit with gray patches. Morningkit, too, had amber eyes.

Cinderheart purred, turning to the final kit. "And this one will be..." her voice trailed off as her eyes widened, and she couldn't help but stifle a gasp of surprise.

The final kit was a she-kit. She was a light brown tabby with a white underbelly and petite, white paws. She was the spitting image of Leafpool, but, when she opened her eyes, they were green. Hollyleaf's green.

"Leafkit," Cinderheart choked out. Her daughter looked like Leafpool, whom was Cinderpelt's apprentice, and she had the eyes of her deceased best friend. Her kit would be named Leafkit, in honor of both of them.

Lionblaze, too, noticed the ressemblance between the three, and sadly nodded. "Leafkit it is."

With Sootkit, Morningkit and Leafkit happily suckling at her belly, Cinderheart realized that it felt like a kit was missing. Starkit.

Suddenly, she felt her mood change from a happy one to a depressed one. She unexpectedly leaned back, disturbing her kits' suckling, and they mewled and squeaked in protest.

Cinderheart wailed, letting out all her grief for Leafpool, her stillborn kit and Starkit. Leafpool had been a dear friend and supporter to her, though thick and thin. Her stillborn kit...he could've had a chance to live, but for some reason, he never even cried for milk. Just a body, her kit. Her kit...

And Starkit. She had been born living, with her entire life stretching out from her, but now she would never know the exhilarating thrill during a winning battle, or the feel of fresh-kill on her tongue. She would stay a kit forever in StarClan. And Cinderheart wouldn't be able to meet her for a very long time...

Pain seared through her heart, and Cinderheart wept for all her lost beloved ones. Even Molepaw, Honeyfern and Ferncloud. Ferncloud had looked after her as a kit, while expecting and nursing Icecloud and Foxleap. But now they were dead. And Cinderheart could only see them either in dreams or at death.

At death.

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**Sooo...REVIEW AND VOTE ON THE POLL ON MY PROFILE PAGE! I only have ten ppl who did the poll -.- and I definetly don't have 10 reviews, follows or favs! Anyway, here's our fav part of the chap: **

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**Quote: **

_**"It was my fault alone. You are wrong to blame Squirrelflight. She was just being loyal to me. And now that we know about the prophecy, surely the only thing that matters is being accepted by their Clan? It's not about us, after all. It's about them. Their destiny shaped ours, right from the moment they were born."**_

_**-Leafpool to Brambleclaw in "The Last Hope"**_

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**So BYE! xD That quote was totally in memory of Leafpool!**

**-Sky**


	24. Eye for an Eye

**Hey guys! New chapter. Yay. Okay, let's just carry on. **

**Disclaimer: I.. *sobs* you already know it!**

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_Halfpaw skipped around Jayfeather _teasingly as he carried the Twoleg pelt between his teeth. "So, Jay's Wing, how's carrying Cinderheart going for you so far?" she asked cheekily, waiting for a reaction.

Jayfeather rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just go chase after some butterfly, Halfkit?" he retorted.

Cinderheart sighed. "Quit squabbling, you two. The kits are getting aroused."

It was true. The three miniscule balls of kitten-fluff were squeaking and putting their tiny paws over their equally tiny ears. One of them~Sootkit~leaned over the second Twoleg nest~the one that formed his _own _nest~and squeaked loudly, leaving Jayfeather to grumble.

"Annoying, stupid, noisy kits," Jayfeather muttered. "Keeps me awake all night."

Lionblaze scowled at his littermate. "It would do good to be nicer to your kin, you know."

"Whatever."

Dovewing looked like she was walking in a blur, but her ears were pricked, so Halfpaw guessed that she was listening for trouble.

Suddenly, Dovewing gasped and waved her tail frantically. "T-t-trouble," she choked out, her eyes wide with fear. She started trembling violently and her ears were flattened to her skull.

Halfpaw pressed her pelt against Dovewing's, trying to be comforting. "Calm down, calm down," she whispered, hoping it sounded soothing. "What did you see?"

Dovewing seemed not to hear her, despite her enhanced hearing, gifted from Cognitor Omnia Quae himself. Tears pooled in her bright green eyes, which were alight with fear. "Big...red...pack..." she closed her eyes, sending tears streaking across her cheeks. "Pack, pack," she whispered. "Kill, kill."

At those words, Cinderheart gasped, sending the kits mewling again. "Cinderpelt told me about that! Before, when the dog pack raged ThunderClan, Brightheart was found whispering the same things. Did she see _dogs_?"

"Dogs!" scoffed Tigerheart. "They aren't that scary." he puffed his chest out arrogantly. "I could take them on!"

Cinderheart shook her head. "No, you couldn't. There were many dogs, maybe six. Cinderpelt said that two cats wouldn't stand a chance. Did you see Brightheart anytime? The dog pack did that to her. Not to mention they killed Swiftpaw, a skilled apprentice. In fact, Brightheart was trained by Whitestorm. She, too, was very talented as an apprentice."

"Oh," was all that Tigerheart could say.

Dovewing crouched down, ears still flattened, eyes squeezed shut, trembling. "Red eyes...they lust for blood..prey. Prey is what they want." she let out a shriek, which startled Halfpaw. "_We _are prey! _We _will fall!"

"Halfpaw," was her mentor's quiet mew. "Do your thing."

Halfpaw growled, "I hate doing my thing," but probed Dovewing's mind anyway. Immediately she was caught in a whirlwind of senses.

_So this is Dovewing's power? _Halfpaw wondered. _Cool. _She aligned her temorarily-acquired senses to Dovewing's, and tried not to scream.

The rank stench wafted up to her nose. Their pelts ranged from snow white to night black. Their superior tracking senses had already found the nine of them, and were closing in quickly.

"_Pack, pack," _growled the biggest of them, which Halfpaw roughly understood._ "Kill, kill." _

The others echoed his cry. _"Pack, pack! Kill, kill!" _and sped off. Halfpaw realized that these creatures were much too fast for them to outrun. Their long, deadly legs propelled them faster than Lionblaze. Their slavering jaws could clamp around kits, killing one after another... Yes, Halfpaw could see it now. They would lean forward, foam dripping from their jaws, and_ snap! _One kit dead, two to go.

_Concentrate! _Halfpaw snapped out of her daze, determination suddenly sparking in her green gaze. She snapped the connection between her and Dovewing's minds and looked at the rest of them. "We may have a slight problem." her words came out sarcastic, and she was pleased that they didn't tremble.

"Wow," Jayfeather retorted, equally sarcastic. "We never knew _that_."

"Speak for yourself, Jayfeather," mewed Cinderheart, shooting Tigerheart an amused glance. Said tom shrank down, embarrassed.

Lionblaze ignored the four. He was completely focused on the threat. _Probably because of his kits. _"What are they?" he asked,

"Wolves." this time, the shudder in Halfpaw's voice was evident. She tried to imagine herself in Lionblaze's eyes. A small, white-gray apprentice, bright green eyes alight with fear. For a second, if Halfpaw was gray, she would probably look like Dovewing, who was still in her tense position, muscles already twitching about.

Lionblaze's amber eyes widened. "Pack?" he asked.

Halfpaw nodded curtly. "Yes," she mewed, trying not to look scared. _What about the kits? I have to set an example for them. They can't be hysterical while the wolves attack. _

"We have to warn the others." Lionblaze's mew was tense.

"What about the kits?" Halfpaw questioned.

Lionblaze's eyes darkened, and Halfpaw knew she had struck a nerve. She tried to change the subject by mewing, "But what about Dovewing?"

Lionblaze took a deep breath. "Tell her to draw her senses back."

Halfpaw padded back over to the cats. "Wolves are coming," she reported. "And we can't do anything to stop it. We'll have to hide Cinderheart and the kits," she braced herself for protest, but, luckily, she found none. "And Jayfeather, too. He needs to gather herbs."

When silence greeted her, Halfpaw took that as a yes. "Prepare for the attack," she commanded, easily slipping into the role of leader. Having been Stoneteller for many years had become an advantage of her, and she was used to ordering cats around. "But be careful. We don't know if they outnumber us or not~and don't forget a safe and secure place for Cinderheart." she purred a bit as they gaped at her. "Do not forget, I was once Stoneteller, leader of the Tribe of Rushing Water..."

* * *

Amberpaw woke up in her soft, mossy nest. It felt strange, somehow, like something was different. Every time she puffed out a breath, smoke would waft out of her jaws. She blinked. Odd.

She stepped out, and sank down with a cry of alarm. White, powdery stuff clogged up her fur, and she irritably shook it out, then shuddered. Great StarClan, that was _cold! _

Snowpaw and Dewpaw blearily trudged out of the apprentices' den. When they sank in the white powder, Snowpaw just blinked, and Dewpaw groaned, "Not again! I hate snow!"

Amberpaw twitched her nose in confusion. "What's snow?" she asked Dewpaw.

"Snow is the thing I'm named after," Snowpaw explained, leaving Dewpaw to do his grumbling. "It comes every leafbare, and it's really, really _cold_."

_I knew that, _Amberpaw thought.

"And," Snowpaw's eyes darkened with sadness. "Because of leafbare, our sister, Amberkit, died."

_Amberkit? _Amberpaw realized that she shared a name with Snowpaw's sister. _Poor Amberkit. _

Her not-so-favorite spider trotted up to her, once again, issuing an order. "Go out hunting. The fresh-kill pile's almost empty."

Amberpaw sighed and obliged to his orders. No use arguing. She pawed her way though the..._snow_, and walked through to the camp entrance.

Immediately she spotted a thrush. Slowly, bit by bit, Amberpaw stalked it. When she was almost close enough to pounce, the snow underneath her gave way, and she fell with a loud yelp.

Hearing the yelp, the thrush quickly flew away, luckily, just to a different tree. Amberpaw repeated the ordeal and ended up scaring away the thrush again.

Frustration seeped into her. Stupid snow! She couldn't hunt in these sort of conditions.

Amberpaw had already chased the thrush to the edge of the border. Crouching a final time, Amberpaw took great care not to step on snow that looked like it might collapse. She got near enough to pounce.

Waggling her haunches, she then leaped, pushing off her strong hind legs. Her outstretched claws cut into the bird's neck, batting it right into ShadowClan territory, where a certain tortoiseshell apprentice caught it.

"Thanks," Marshpaw mewed, smirking.

Amberpaw growled and took a step forward, only to back away when the rest of the patrol came out. On what used to be ThunderClan territory. Amberpaw scanned the group. Burnetpaw, Toadfoot, Tawnypelt and Pinenose. Not to mention Marshpaw.

"Give it back," Amberpaw snarled. "Haven't you fat fox-hearts have enough prey with _our _territory?"

Burnetpaw snorted. "It's rightfully _ShadowClan's_. We fought for it."

"You killed Mousewhisker!" Amberpaw yelled, her voice raising an octave higher.

"So?" Burnetpaw retorted.

"He had kits in the nursery!"

"You're changing the subject," Marshpaw pointed out. "The fact is, we got your prey because you were too rough with it."

"Marshpaw," Amberpaw heard Tawnypelt command. "Give back Amberpaw her prey."

Marshpaw laughed. "No way! Look at my scars. Look at them!" Amberpaw glanced up, and saw the ugly scar that slashed through his tortoiseshell fur. Not to mention the other battle wounds. "She did that! It's time for payback."

Amberpaw didn't register anything, but when she woke up, she was in ShadowClan camp.

Her eyes flitted around. "What...?" she turned to Blackstar, who was already on some sort of High-something, announcing something.

"~ave gotten hold of a ThunderClan apprentice, whom we plan to trade for more territory." it sounded rehearsed, as if some cat was placing the words in his mouth. _Probably Ratscar._

"For the moment, she will stay in ShadowClan camp, unless she does any damage, and will be fed a single piece of prey per day."

Hot anger filled Amberpaw as she looked at their well-stocked fresh-kill pile. That should've been _ThunderClan's_! And Amberpaw looked, as a very disgruntled Heavypaw cautiously picked up the smallest and scrawniest piece on the pile, a mouse, and dropped it at her paws.

Amberpaw looked at it simply, not daring to even sink her teeth into the ShadowClan stench. A kit tumbled out, laughing along with his siblings. A cream-furred queen~Dawnpelt, she guessed~came out and ushered her kits back inside. Snowbird was nursing what looked like newborn kits as she brushed her muzzle along Crowfrost's.

Amberpaw suddenly remembered what they had done to Mousewhisker. Anger raced through her again. Before she knew it, she was running top-speed across the clearing, and she pushed off of her hind legs, sinking her teeth into Crowfrost's neck.

A sickening _snap! _was heard, and Crowfrost collapsed to the ground, and gasps and wails were heard and gazes of horror were shot at her.

"An eye for an eye," she whispered.

* * *

**Oooh! Amberpaw's stirring some trouble! So review and you'll find out what happened! Oh, and the poll has 15 now...an improvement, but c'mon guys! We can do so much better!**

* * *

**Quote:**

_**Amberkit: "Why is Ferncloud asleep?"**_

_**Dewkit: "She's tired after all the fighting, silly. Dustpelt will wake her up."**_

_**From "The Last Hope"**_

* * *

**And don't forget to review! Guys, we're aiming for 200 reviews now! And I thought those lines from Amberkit and Dewkit were just too cute, so I added that in.**

**-Sky**


	25. Wolf Pack

**Back! With 200 FREAKING REVIEWS! OHMYSTARCLAN I AM SO HAPPY! Anyway, you STILL HAVE TO REVIEW though! Cuz we're aiming for THREE HUNDRED! Oh, and sorry that this chappie's so short, but I've hit writer's block -.- damn, I hate it.**

**Disclaimer: I...*sobs* Jayfeather! Do it for me!**

**Jayfeather: No.**

* * *

_Tigerheart checked that Jayfeather _was well away from the terrain, and that Cinderheart and the kits were safely stacked on the branch of a tree, which was long and spindly. Hopefully the wolves were too heavy to climb on that...hopefully. Tigerheart didn't want any kits to be wolf-kill.

Because Lionblaze would probably...whoa, dangerous thoughts. Tigerheart shook his head. _Just think about the wolves that are coming._

Slowly, bit by bit, the stench became stronger. Until it filled his nostrils, and suddenly, a midnight-black shape flew on him, swiftly pinning him down.

Tigerheart gasped with surprise and struggle as it pushed him down. His vision blackened and his futile struggles to breathe were getting weaker and weaker. He gritted his teeth. _I am one of the Seven! I must live! _

He unsheathed his claws and dug them in the softest spot he could find. He heard a howl of pain and sank them deeper, knowing he found a sensitive place. The wolf howled again and ripped free, leaving a tuft of fur and a chunk of flesh in Tigerheart's claws. Tigerheart snorted in disgust and cleaned the flesh from his claws.

For the first time, he saw the wolf clearly. It was dog-like in many ways, except it was slightly larger. Tigerheart guessed that it was a male. Saliva dribbled from the wolf's jaws, and Tigerheart licked his own lips self-consciously. The wolf snarled, then leaped again, a graceful arch that was also incredibly deadly. Tigerheart ducked down and rolled as the wolf narrowly missed him. He tried not to think about what would happen if he hadn't rolled.

He sprang up swiftly on his legs again and pounced on the wolf's back, digging his claws in his neck. The wolf howled and attempted to shake him off, but Tigerheart persisted. _You aren't leaving until you run with your tail between your legs! _he thought.

The wolf unexpectedly rolled in his back, squashing Tigerheart. Tigerheart yowled in surprise, but was quickly cut off as the wolf bit into his neck and shook him violently. Tigerheart snarled, stubborn not to be defeated so easily. _I am Tigerheart! Former trainer of the Dark Forest! Fifth of the Seven! I will _not _go down with a fight_. Tigerheart repeated these words in his mind, giving him strength. He twisted around, still in the wolf's frothing jaws, and ripped open his nose. The wolf howled and dropped him, just so that Tigerheart could regain his balance and attack again.

This time, Tigerheart rolled between the wolf's legs, then whipped around to rip and gnash at his belly before rolling out again. Hearing the satisfying bark of pain was reward enough.

_Good! Now, get lost, fox dung! _

Apparently the dim-witted wolf didn't get the message. He pushed forward, ripping off flesh and fur from Tigerheart's shoulder and Tigerheart yowled in pain. Better see Jayfeather later.

The wolf cleaned it's claws, before turning back to Tigerheart, a heartbeat too late. Tigerheart's jaws clamped around the wolf's neck, and squeezed.

_Snap! _

The wolf's body became limp, and Tigerheart let go, tasting blood in his mouth. The black wolf fell to the ground in a motionless heap, and then the wolves hesitated, watching him. Then, one by one, they howled and ran away.

Halfpaw nodded approvingly. "You killed the Alpha. Nice. Usually the rest of the pack would've killed you, but they sustained injuries themselves. At least, I think so." she shrugged. "Barely touched a claw on them."

Dovewing relaxed from her stiff position while fighting. "So," she meowed slowly. "Is it over?"

Lionblaze nodded comfortingly. "Yes, it's over."

Dovewing let out a sigh of relief and collapsed on the spot. "Go-_od_," she whispered. "I don't want to see those monsters ever again in my life."

Halfpaw shuddered. "Believe me," she assured Dovewing. "There are things much worse then that." she shuddered a second time. "Remind me to tell you that story about the bear..."

"I don't want to hear," Dovewing whimpered, her voice only a squeak.

Tigerheart watched Dovewing, his face completely drained of emotion, though underneath was a different matter. He loved Dovewing, with a burning passion, but he couldn't bring himself to become mates with her. The only thing on her mind was _Bumblestripe, Bumblestripe, ooh! Bumblestripe's caught a mouse! Ooh! Bumblestripe's so cool!_

He watched as Dovewing turned and hesitantly looked at him, and he pointedly turned his back on her. _No, _he thought. _Not yet. Not until you choose me over Bumblestripe. _

* * *

"You killed him!" was the first thing Amberpaw heard when Crowfrost collapsed, his neck wound still gushing blood.

Blearily, Amberpaw turned her head and locked eyes with Snowbird. Snowbird's eyes were filled with horror and despair. "You killed my mate!" she repeated.

"And you killed Mousewhisker," Amberpaw retorted.

Burnetpaw ran up to her and raked her claws across Amberpaw's ear, who winced, knowing that her ear was torn, but that didn't stop the bubbling hatred inside her. In a flurry of motion, she leaped on Burnetpaw and began ripping her claws across her pelt, giving her scars that would last until the end of her life. Every cat in the clearing was still to shocked about Crowfrost to notice anything about Burnetpaw. Once she was finished with her work, Amberpaw kicked Burnetpaw away, and she tumbled to the ground in a heap.

Heavypaw immediately came to Burnetpaw's aid. "What are you?" he screeched at her. "First you scar Marshpaw, then you _kill_," Heavypaw spat the word out bitterly. "Crowfrost, _then _you scar _Burnetpaw_!"

"Like you didn't do the same to ThunderClan," Amberpaw snarled. "Like how it feels?"

"He had kits and a mate!"

"So did Mousewhisker."

Amberpaw felt truimph seeping into her. She had done what she had come to do. She purred as she grabbed as much fresh-kill as she could and ran back toward the border as fast as she could.

But ShadowClan's territory had extened tremendously throughout the war, and Amberpaw felt at least four warriors and one very angry apprentice (cough, HEAVYPAW, cough, cough) chasing her tail. Amberpaw crossed the ThunderClan border and immediately ran into a patrol consisting of Lilystone, Molewhisker, Snowpaw, Spiderleg and Bumblestripe.

"Amberpaw!" Snowpaw exclaimed when he saw her. "We've been looking for you! Where did you go?"

Amberpaw ignored him, and explained to Spiderleg, the most senior warrior here, what happened. "ShadowClancapturedmethenIkil ledCrowfrost," Amberpaw took a deep breath before continuing. "AndthenIgrabbedabunchofprey," another breath. "AndranbackhereasfastasIcould ," explaining fast took a lot of deep breaths. Amberpaw wondered why. "AndShadowClan'schasingme." she finally finished.

Spiderleg blinked. "Oh," was all he said, before ShadowClan attacked them.

Amberpaw's legs felt wobbly, so she instead fled, clingling onto the precious prey for dear life until she reached ThunderClan camp. Breathlessly and dizzy, she retold what happened before depositing the prey on the fresh-kill pile and sat back, satisfied. That would feed the Clan.

Bramblestar rapidly sent reinforcements, along with himself, and only she, Squirrelflight, Icecloud, Daisy, Purdy, Sandstorm and Seedflower remained in camp. The entire Clan had gone to attack ShadowClan.

Seedflower padded up to her. "Amberpaw, are you feeling alright?" the white snow coated Seedflower's pale ginger legs as she trudged through it.

Amberpaw blinked. "I'm feeling a little dizzy," she admitted. "But, I don't think so~" she was cut off as she collapsed in a fit of coughs. Seedflower worriedly shuffled over.

"Are you sure?" she persisted, and Amberpaw groaned.

"I'm...actually...not...feeling that good...right now..." she whispered, coughing again. "Everything's fuzzy. Is it supposed to be fuzzy?"

Seedflower shook her head. "I don't think so."

And then the world spiraled before Amberpaw before she collapsed completely.

* * *

Jayfeather sniffed the air, quickly locating the group's scent. He padded over to them, jaws filled with cobwebs and herbs for wounds.

When he arrived, he was surprised to find only minor injuries. Easily, he quickly gave them all their fair dose of herbs before getting Cinderheart.

For a long time, the five of them walked, while Cinderheart and her kits were carried with the Twoleg pelt. Jayfeather's jaws already ached from holding the Twoleg pelt between his jaws.

Suddenly, a rank stench filled his nostrils. Was it...? It smelled familiar, though it only brought forth bad memories.

Jayfeather ran a bit.

"Jayfeather," Lionblaze's warning tone came out, and Jayfeather sighed and stopped.

"Cinderheart," Jayfeather heard Dovewing mew, her voice trembling. "What, In~The~Name~Of~StarClan~Is~That?" she asked.

"That," Cinderheard meowed sadly, "Is the remains of the old forest.

"The Twolegs have completely taken over it," Jayfeather heard Tigerheart murmur in astonishment.

Carefully, Jayfeather placed a paw on a hard surface which stank like a million pieces of dirt, and he immediately knew that it was a Thunderpath. Taking a few more steps forward, he made sure that no monster was crossing.

He had already reached the edge when he felt the Twoleg stench overwhelm him and he gasped as hairless paws grabbed at his stomach, lifted him, and cooed something in gibberish.

Jayfeather had been caught by a Twoleg.

* * *

**BUM BUM BUM! What will happen next? Do you think the wolves retreated too easily? What happened to Amberpaw? Will Jayfeather do my disclaimer next time? Y'all just have to wait! And, sorry, too lazy to do the quote -.- AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW ON THE POLL!**

**-Sky**


	26. Poem of Destiny

**Haiii! Back...WITH 222 REVIEWS! But, c'mon guys! We can totally raise it up to 300!**

**Disclaimer: Jayfeather has run away, so Idon'townWarriors**

* * *

_When Amberpaw woke, still _dizzy, the first thing she did was lap up a bit of water that was soaked up in moss, then vomit it back up, though nothing came except water, which was good, she guessed.

She groaned. Her fur felt damp, her head was throbbing, and she, in one word, felt horrible.

She stirred, and Seedflower was by her side in an instant. "You've got whitecough and a fever." she meowed. She pawed her a bitter-smelling herb. "Eat," she ordered.

Amberpaw simply groaned.

Seedflower sighed and pried open her mouth. Then, she dropped the herbs in. "Eat!" she ordered a second time.

Amberpaw choked on the bitter taste and spat it out, leaf still intact.

Seedflower narrowed her eyes. "I don't have time for this," she spat. "There are injured ThunderClan warriors out there and~"

"Here, Seedflower, I'll help," Briarlight dragged herself in the medicine cat's den.

Relief was evident on Seedflower's expression. "Thank you, Briarlight," she mewed.

Briarlight dragged herself over, amusement sparking her gaze. "You hate feverfew? Well, can't say I don't blame you." Amberpaw watched as Briarlight carefully unfurled a leaf, to show a thick, oozing yellow substance. She dipped the feverfew in the substance and dragged herself back to Amberpaw. "Here. Now try it."

When Amberpaw clamped her jaws over it, it still had a bitter taste, but that was overwhelmed by the soothing liquid streaming down her throat. It made her think of milk.

"That's honey," Briarlight explained.

Amberpaw nodded weakly. Even though the feverfew had been consumed, she felt whitecough, harsh on her chest. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interuppted by a hacking cough.

Briarlight poured more honey down her throat, soothing it a little bit more. Amberpaw groaned again and collapsed on the soft, springy moss that _some_ _cat _had the decency to collect. Not for her, probably.

"Here," Briarlight nudged a mouse that had been dropped by her nest. "Thornclaw went out to get that for you."

_Thornclaw? _Amberpaw half-felt like refusing the mouse just because Thornclaw had caught it, but she was so hungry that she gobbled it up greedily, finishing it in just a few, quick bites. The rumbles in her belly ceased.

Briarlight paused for a moment, then laughed. Amberpaw blearily turned her head toward her.

"You know," Briarlight began. "My mother, Millie, used to tell me this funny little poem when I was a kit, to help me sleep. I have no idea what it means, but it calmed me."

Amberpaw was suddenly curious. "Say it for me." she ordered (cringe. She was becoming like Spiderleg!).

Briarlight purred briefly with amusement, before launching into the poem she had so precisely burned into memory.

"_Amber wakes, from dark sleep. _

_Joined in forces, to defeat anger. _

_Turned, against her once-ally, _

_Lives she will take,_

_A heart she shall break,_

_Kits she shall make,_

_And joy sow her heart forevermore." _

Amberpaw gulped. The first part of the poem sounded so hauntingly like how her life happened.

_Amber wakes, from dark sleep. Joined in forces, to defeat anger._

What was that? Did that possibly mean that Amberpaw woke up from the Dark Forest? And that she joined forces to quell her anger at Thornclaw and Mothwing? How did the poem even _know _that she was training in the Dark Forest? Amberpaw gritted her teeth. Briarlight had said it only once, and yet Amberpaw had it memorized.

_Turned, against her once-ally,_

Fear paralyzed her heart. Did that possibly mean her sister that she would betray? Snowpaw? The entire Clan? Amberpaw had no answer to that.

_Lives she will take,_

That one was easier. Of course, Amberpaw had already taken the life of Crowfrost, in revenge for Mousewhisker, but it said live_s_. Was she going to kill more?

_A heart she shall break,_

NO! That couldn't possibly mean Snowpaw. She would never, ever, ever break his heart, but the poem clearly said it. Amberpaw bit her lip. She didn't like her future so far.

_Kits she shall make,_

What? Kits? The poem was definetly mistaken. _Why would I have kits? I want to become _deputy_!_

_And joy sow her heart forevermore._

Maybe that part she liked, but what did 'joy' mean? What kind of joy? Desire? Ambition? Amberpaw shook her head. So many questions, not enough answers.

"Briarlight," Amberpaw murmured. "Where did Millie get that poem?"

Briarlight blinked, as if it was the only time it actually occured to her. "I think...she heard it from a crystal ball? Millie said that it whispered things, with carvings on it."

_A crystal ball!_ Amberpaw almost laughed. Maybe the crystal ball had gotten a part of her life correct, but it wasn't going to be lucky for long.

Amberpaw exhaled loudly, letting her whiskers fly.

She knew that a part of her~a very quiet, discreet part~thought that the poem might've been real.

* * *

"Jayfeather!" Cinderheart yowled from her position of letting her kits suckle.

Sootkit paused and lifted his head at her, amber eyes wide. "Jaifeda?" he asked.

Cinderheart couldn't surpress a purr. She loved her kits, and her heart still ached for Starkit.

"No," she corrected. "Jayfeather."

Sootkit repeated, "Jaifeda."

Sighing, Cinderheart gave up.

"Jayfeather!" Halfpaw repeated. Her bright green eyes were frantic.

Lionblaze groaned. "Screw it, Halfpaw. It's no use. The Twoleg has already left in it's monster."

The now-group of five felt tired and useless, so they decided to find shelter. Halfpaw was supposed to stay with Cinderheart, while Lionblaze, Dovewing and Tigerheart hunted. Halfpaw was quiet as they waited.

Finally, the three of them returned, Lionblaze carrying three scrawny squirrels; a pretty good catch during the middle of leafbare.

Lionblaze dropped the squirrels at Cinderheart's paws. "Here," he meowed. "You said that you liked squirrel the most."

Cinderheart purred, knowing that Lionblaze would be downcast. "Actually," she sniggered, "I've been getting tired of squirrel. What I'd like now is a fat pheasant."

Lionblaze groaned and returned to the forest, leaving Halfpaw to gobble up the squirrels.

Cinderheart purred and stroked Leafkit with her tail as she watched her mate stumble back (somehow) with two pheasants.

Cinderheart licked her lips. "Better," she teased.

* * *

Dovewing woke up to complete darkness.

It was almost dawn, with a few streaks of sunlight illuminating the night sky. Dovewing inhaled deeply, then released her senses as she exhaled. Then her eyes flew open. It was..a cat. Her eyes flew wildly, and pinpointed their observer on the branch of a nearby tree.

Careful not to scare the cat away~Dovewing sensed that she was plump and timid~she padded over to the tree and called up, "I know you're there. Come down."

Dovewing could see it clearly now~two glowing orbs of blue. They were wide with fear.

"Come down," Dovewing whispered, softer. "I won't hurt you."

Reluctantly, the cat slid down, and out came a silver tabby she-cat. A collar made of red was wrapped securely around her neck, and a silver round thing with scratches hung from it, glistening.

"Hello," the newcomer meowed softly.

Dovewing felt curiousity stir inside her. "Who are you?" she questioned. The silver tabby widened her eyes, and Dovewing continued soothingly, "I'm just curious." But inside, she felt frustration. _Great StarClan! What would happen if _ShadowClan _found her? _But then a knot twisted inside of her. _Tigerheart._

"My..my name is Silver," the she-cat admitted. "This was the only time I could roam free~because my housefolk are very protective of me. I...I saw you sleeping here and wondered why you weren't in a house, so I came over, where you found me."

Dovewing nodded. Silver's explanation sounded perfectly reasonable. In fact, Silver's...er, _silver _pelt reminded her a bit of Ivypool, who was back at ThunderClan camp.

"Believe me, I'm not doing any harm," Silver continued, sounding a little anxious this time. "So, if you don't want me here, I don't have to stay..." her mew trailed off.

"It's okay," Dovewing reassured her. But then she caught the glint of hope in Silver's eye. _What's happening? _She wondered.

Suddenly, Lionblaze beside her stirred. "Dovewing?" he mumbled groggily. "Is it dawn yet?"

"Wake up the others," Dovewing replied. "We have a visitor."

A little while later, Dovewing finished introducing Silver to the rest of the cats. Silver was polite and greeted them each nicely, and showed a profound expression for the kits.

"I wish I could be a mother someday," she sighed sadly, and Dovewing caught the same look in her eye. _What's she up to? _

"Something's up," Dovewing blurted out. "You're hiding something. What?"

Silver's eyes widened and she stammered, "Wh~what do you mean?"

"I can see it," Dovewing replied. "What are you hiding?"

Silver bit her lip, then sighed. "I was lying. My housefolk abandoned me. I was drawn here from company from other cats, and you don't smell like you're around here, so I decided to take my chances. There are a lot of vicious cats here in the streets."

Tigerheart's ears flattened. "What do you mean, your housefolk abandoned you?"

Silver sighed. "Well, one of the adults died, and there was a lot of crying. The male one was the one that died. The female never liked me much, so she shooed me out the first chance she got." Dovewing watched as Silver winced. "She threw something hard at me. I can barely walk."

When Dovewing observed her leg, she saw that Silver wasn't exaggerating. Her hind leg was bent in an odd angle...

A yowl echoed throughout the Twoleg nests.

"What was that?" Halfpaw asked, her fur already bushed up.

"Oh, that was just the new cat," Silver meowed dismissively. "He's been having a tantrum from the moment he arrived. And I'd say he's lucky! He got the Tanner family, the one with the most toys."

Lionblaze lifted his tail. "Wait," he started, "Did the new cat happen to have a mottled gray pelt and blue eyes?"

"Well," Silver mewed nervously, obviously not comfterable with Lionblaze's intensity on her. "I...think so."

"That's Jayfeather!" Lionblaze exclaimed. "We have to go help him!"

"The Tanners' house is the big red one with the brown roof," Silver added helpfully.

"Great," Lionblaze mewed, "We can go at sunhigh and leave Cinderheart and Silver here~"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Silver interuppted, and Dovewing could see fire blazing in her eyes. "Who was the one that told you about where he was?" she demanded, all politeness gone. "I'm going with you, and I don't care if I have an injured leg."

Dovewing felt a rumble of laughter fill her chest. Take away the kittypet collar and the plumpness, and Silver could be a real Clan cat.

"Fine," Lionblaze grumped unhappily.

And the conversation ended like that.

* * *

_Where am I? _Jayfeather wondered fuzzily. All the scents were clouded and mushed together, leaving Jayfeather to _attempt _to distinguish what was what. It didn't help that he slammed into walls often.

He was in a Twoleg nest, that was for sure, but all of a sudden he felt cramped, as if there wasn't any space. He lifted his paw and felt something smooth and chunky. There wasn't.

Jayfeather tumbled over with a yowl of surprise as he felt the thing he was in shift. He was placed in something and heard the familiar rumble that he hated.

_I'm in...a _monster_! _He realized with a jolt.

The moment the monster moved, Jayfeather fell over again. After a while, he learned to dig his claws in the soft material so that he would stay in place. After a long, dizzying ride, Jayfeather felt cold, fresh air press on his face and he was lifted yet again.

When he landed, it wasn't in the soft, chunky thing, but a hard, wooden surface. He hissed in surprise as he was suddenly turned over, being poked and prodded at each side. He attempted to nip the fingers, but the moment it was there, it was gone again, poking another thing.

Finally, the Twoleg (at least he thought it was a Twoleg) said something and a Twoleg kit burst out sobbing, along with the female. _What's happening? _

Jayfeather felt the familiar, hairless paws of the female and she continued sobbing wails of grief, and Jayfeather realized that she was waving a paw in front of his face, trying to get him to blink. Nothing happened.

_Wait, _Jayfeather thought. _They know I'm blind! And...blind cats don't make good kittypets. They can't play, or do anything. _Jayfeather remembered what would happen if a Twoleg didn't want, or need something. Jayfeather knew what happened to things that couldn't do anything.

_They...they're going to kill me._

* * *

**Well, what's happening with Jayfeather is that he's being put down because he's blind. Does that happen to blind cats? Well, it does now :3 And I can't find any quotes yet so you'll have to wait! AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE ON THE POLL!**

**-Sky**


	27. Escape

**And I am done this chapter! Hope you enjoy and REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: Fine. Silver, do my disclaimer before I kill you like I did with Jayfeather.**

**Silver; *hurriedly* Sky doesn't own Warriors! Erin Hunter does!**

**Sky: Good girl. **

* * *

_Tigerheart didn't expect to _be lifted out of the air by a nursery queen.

But that was the plan. Silver would pretend to be a lost and injured kittypet (well, strictly speaking, she already _was_) and would beg for help, except for the part about the kittypet. Silver insisted that her collar be taken off.

"If we keep my collar on," Silver had meowed. "Then the Twoleg will think that I'm a kittypet and will simply return me to..." she shuddered. "That monster of a female Twoleg."

So Lionblaze had to yank it off of her. Silver curled her hind leg to make it look a little more dented than usual, and she was off into the Tanners' nest. While she walked over and yowled painfully (they made sure her fur was dirtied, bloodied and matted) and it echoed thoughout the nest. Tigerheart saw Halfpaw with her eyes closed, and he imagined that she was setting up a mental connection with the Twolegs inside. Finally, she opened her eyes.

"The female's name is Maria Tanner, but every Twoleg calls her Maria. The male is called Gregory Tanner and the kit is called Joey Tanner." she announced.

A weary-looking Twoleg female, whom Tigerheart guessed was Maria, opened the door. Her eyes widened at the sight of a bloody and dirty Silver. With a gasp, she quickly ushered the she-cat in.

Tigerheart curled his lip. It was a very clever idea to use mouse blood instead of _real _blood. Silver had no qualms about smearing the body of a dead mouse across her fur, surprisingly.

Maria picked up Silver and Tigerheart saw Dovewing prick her ears, and he knew that she was spreading out her senses to find out what was happening.

"Silver's going according to plan," Dovewing meowed, and Lionblaze breathed a sigh of relief. Silver wasn't betraying them.

Silver effectively distracted Maria, Gregory and Joey with her complaints about softness and food and, most importantly, her 'wounds'.

While the three Twolegs were distracted, Cinderheart stood up in her nest and licked all of them on the heads. "Wait a bit, my kits," she murmured gently. "Mother's going to have to do something for a bit, and then she'll come back."

Halfpaw bent over the kits, stroking them and distracting them from the absence of their mother.

Tigerheart felt Cinderheart's teeth in his scruff and he was lifted into the air. He just hoped no one~cat or Twoleg~saw them as Cinderheart deposited Tigerheart on the roof laden with snow. Tigerheart curled his lip as he saw the...what did Silver call it? The _chimney_. He slid down the octangular-shaped hole and landed in a pile of ash and cinders. Luckily, the Twolegs were still distracted by Silver, who was now meowing for 'tuna', whatever that was.

Tigerheart quickly closed his eyes and forced his body to disappear from view. A familiar slimy trickle tickled his pelt, smearing all over it, and when Tigerheart opened his eyes, he knew he had disappeared from view.

Tigerheart saw the...erm..._stairs_ and clambered on top of it, one after another, again and again.

Finally, he reached the top. Below, he heard the Twoleg kit~Joey~yell something, but he ignored it. _Probably Silver giving them a hard time, _he thought.

"_Tigerheart," _He suddenly heard a voice and he realized that his hearing was enhanced.

"_Tigerheart," _the voice continued urgently, _"I gave you part of my hearing because I need to tell you something that can't wait." _It was Dovewing.

"_Tigerheart...you said that you couldn't be my mate yet because I kept thinking of Bumblestripe," _Dovewing stated. _"But I thought of Bumblestripe because I remembered all that he did when you... 'betrayed' me. I thought that...that maybe you would betray me again. I was wrong._

"_So when you came there again, I thought of Bumblestripe because I remembered what happened the last time. I wasn't sure, but I automatically thought of him. And you found out. You got angry._

"_What I'm saying is that Bumblestripe isn't on my mind all the time. You are. I'm sorry if you got angry at me, but if anything happens in there, if the Twolegs catch you, if you somehow get hurt, just remember...remember that I love you." _

Tigerheart stood there, shocked. He waited for Dovewing to continue, but then he realized that Dovewing was also waiting for something. A reply. After Dovewing's speech/explanation, Tigerheart felt like a jerk. He sighed, and poured his heart out to her.

"You already know how I feel."

Dovewing kept quiet, and Tigerheart knew that she felt satisfied. He sighed and plodded on, tracking Jayfeather by his scent trails.

When he entered a room, he instantly realized that it had a large..(how does Silver memorize all these things?) window. Jayfeather clawed and banged at it, but it didn't break, no matter what. Suddenly, he stiffened.

"Tigerheart. You're here."

It was more of a statement than anything. Then Jayfeather continued, "They...they know I'm blind. They're going to kill me."

Anger flushed throughout Tigerheart. "So, they just take you, and now they're going to _kill_ you?" he growled, his claws unsheathing. "Just wait until I get those Twolegs..."

"Don't." Jayfeather's mew was still monotone. "The female and the kit were sobbing. It was the Cutter that said I needed to die, anyway." his voice carried scorn, as if he didn't actually believe that.

"Jayfeather, we're getting you out." Tigerheart mewed, determined.

Jayfeather turned to him, surprise evident on his face. "How are you going to do that?" he asked.

Tigerheart flicked his tail, until he realized that Jayfeather couldn't see it. "Follow me," he mewed instead.

Jayfeather obediently shuffled after him. And that was when Tigerheart panicked.

There the Twoleg kit was, standing in front of his sooty pawprints. He followed them, tracing them back toward where he was standing. Tigerheart yowled to Jayfeather, _"Run!" _before he himself dashed.

Jayfeather was surprisingly faster than him, possibly because he knew the terrain better. Tigerheart kept smashing into walls and other things cluttering the nest.

At the chimney, Cinderheart was waiting, her dark gray pelt camouflaged her with the soot, ashes, and, of course, cinders. She grabbed Jayfeather's scruff and flew out just as pink, hairless paws grasped at Tigerheart.

Tigerheart yelped and lost his invisibility. The Twoleg kit gasped in amazement and shook him, and Tigerheart snarled. "Don't come back, Cinderheart!" he yowled. At least his friends wouldn't get caught in this.

Tigerheart bit Joey, softly, and he yelled in surprise and dropped him. Tigerheart got to his paws in a moment and ran up the stairs again. He was quickly pursued by Maria and Gregory, all intrest lost in Silver.

Tigerheart ended up being backed up against the window that Jayfeather was just moments ago. All six of the Twolegs' paws stretched out towards him, and anger was evident on their faces.

_I'm trapped, I can't do anything..StarClan help me! _But Tigerheart knew that even StarClan couldn't help him now. He, unable to run, instead unsheathed his claws and traced a circle in the glass. He pushed and the glass fell, while the Twolegs yelled, even more infuriated.

Squeezing his eyes shut so that he couldn't see the very high drop, Tigerheart jumped.

He fell and landed on his paws, where he heard an ominous _crack! _Pain lanced through it, and Tigerheart gasped in pain.

"Tigerheart!"

Tigerheart looked up to see the group of seven, watching him with huge eyes. Only a Thunderpath seperated them...Tigerheart waited for a pause, then stumbled as fast as he could (which wasn't that fast, on his paw).

When he reached the end, he sighed with relief before he saw the trees moving violently toward him. Wind. He yelped in alarm as he was drawn back into the Thunderpath...

...where excruciating pain met him as he was hit by a monster.

* * *

Amberpaw coughed violently as Snowpaw entered the den.

"Don't," Amberpaw rasped, her chest hurting and her head throbbing. "You'll get sick."

"I took tansy." Snowpaw meowed simply, and plopped himself beside her.

Seedflower entered for a moment, carrying herbs, and her eyes crinkled with amusement as she deposited them in the herb store. She exited again, looking for more herbs or giving them some 'alone' time, Amberpaw didn't know.

Amberpaw groaned back and relaxed in her nest. She was violently trembling all over, and she couldn't stop it.

"Here," Snowpaw deposited a soaked piece of moss on her forehead. "Maybe that'll break your fever."

"Seedflower...said..needed feverf~" Amberpaw was broken off as her body was, once again, wracked with coughs.

_Amber wakes, from dark sleep._

_Joined in forces, to defeat darkness._

_Turned, against her once ally,_

_Lives she will take,_

_A heart she shall break,_

_Kits she shall make, _

_And joy sow her heart forevermore._

The lines of the poem that Briarlight had recited for her rang though her head. Amberpaw still couldn't understand them. She gritted her teeth at the _A heart she shall break _part. She wasn't going to break Snowpaw's heart, no matter what.

Suddenly, Seedflower entered, supporting a weak Poppyfrost.

"She's got whitecough, too," Seedflower groaned. "But it's very severe." she sighed. "But I don't want to use the catmint yet."

A shout echoed throughout the clearing and Amberpaw heard trampling and screeching. Seedflower momentarily poked her head out and pulled it back, hissing. "ShadowClan's attacking our _camp_! How dare they?"

_ShadowClan! _Amberpaw wanted badly to go out and help, but as she got to her paws, she swayed with the effort and lay back down in her nest, feeling useless.

Snowpaw licked the top of her head. "Be right back," he mewed shortly, before running out of the den.

Seedflower stood over Amberpaw and Poppyfrost, ready to defend them if neccesary. All too soon, a ShadowClan cat, whom Amberpaw recognized as Scorchfur, entered the den. Seedflower tensed her muscles, but she was batted into the air all too fast. Amberpaw was impressed.

Seedflower groaned and got to her paws, only to be thrown again. She landed on the rock wall of the den, and slumped, a cut above her forehead dripping blood.

And then Scorchfur turned to her.

Amberpaw tried to use cunning. "You wouldn't be as cowardly as to attack a patient with whitecough and a fever, would you?" she struggled to stand, but the moment she got to her paws, the world spun around and she fell back onto the springy moss.

Scorchfur snorted. "Are you really that pathetic? I'll kill you first, then move on to that tortoiseshell." he flicked his tail toward Poppyfrost, who was barely aware of Scorchfur in the den.

Amberpaw clenched her muscles and pulled herself to her paws. She scooped up a juniper berry and a poppy seed and popped it into her mouth. The dizziness eased a little, and she felt as if she could finally stand, but the poppy seed had made her sleepy. She only had limited time before she fell into a stupor.

Scorchfur lunged, and Amberpaw yelped as she was thrusted into the wall. Scorchfur sneered, "So, you're the tougher-than-fox apprentice that gave Marshpaw that scar? You're no biggie. It's time someone put you in your place!"

Snarling, Amberpaw lashed out with her powerful hind legs, catching Scorchfur in the chest. He tumbled back, and this time Amberpaw was on top of him, ripping at his face.

Scorchfur snarled in rage more than pain, and tried to push her off, but Amberpaw's claws hung on like a burr. She pulled herself closer and dug her teeth in him, tasting blood in her mouth.

Scorchfur tugged free (leaving a bit of fur in Amberpaw's claws) and spat with rage and fury. "It really _is _the time for you to be reminded about who you are!"

"I know who I am," Amberpaw mewed, surprising herself with her calmness. "I am Amberpaw, apprentice of ThunderClan. I will stay forever loyal to it, and nothing will change that."

As she spoke, she felt a tingle through her body. She suddenly saw the ghostly form of a blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes. She was large and majestic, and Amberpaw realized that she could only she the she-cat.

"I am Bluestar, former leader of ThunderClan," the she-cat's voice echoed firmly throughout the den. "And I am here to help you."

As Bluestar stepped in the same body as Amberpaw was in, she felt renewed strength flowing through her body. She felt as if she could run over mountains without stopping, hunt and kill a thousand foxes...

_Remember, _Amberpaw heard Bluestar warn in her mind. _This is _my _strength. You are just using it. When I leave, you will once again succumb to whitecough and fever._

Amberpaw nodded just the tiniest bit, then lunged at Scorchfur.

Her paws caught him on his chest, and he was shoved back with surprising strength. She swiped another paw, claws unsheathed, and it cut across his face, leaving a grisly scar.

Scorchfur turned around, kicking Amberpaw back with his hind legs, then he leaped on her, claws pressing against her throat. Amberpaw thrashed wildly, and her hind legs trembled with immense force, shoving Scorchfur out of the den.

_We are both skilled she-cats, _Amberpaw heard Bluestar meow, _With our abilities combined, almost nothing can stop us. I almost feel sorry for Scorchfur._

Amberpaw jumped out of the den, pinning Scorchfur. She felt Bluestar pressing just as hard inside her.

"Goodbye," she murmured in a teasing voice, before ripping out his throat.

* * *

**Soooo...review and vote on the poll! Two of the names are tied, so I NEED MORE VOTES! And our quotes have returned!**

* * *

**Quote:**

_**Lionblaze: "Are you okay?" **_

_**Tigerheart: "No, I'm furious! I'd like to turn every one of those beavers into fresh-kill."**_

_**Dovepaw: "He's okay."**_

_**-Lionblaze, Dovepaw and Tigerheart at the beavers' dam in "The Fourth Apprentice"**_

* * *

**xD Who doesn't love furious Tigerheart? AND DON'T FORGET, ONCE AGAIN, TO REVIEW AND VOTE ON THE POLL (here's a tip: Don't look at my profile page. It has a lot of scary chain-messages). **

**-Sky**


	28. Greencough

**Back with a new chapter! ...yeah, just read.**

**Disclaimer: Jayfeather, be a good kitty and do my disclaimer before I actually kill you this time.**

**Jayfeather: *grumpily sighs* FINEEEEE. Sky doesn't own Warriors. *turns to Sky* happy?**

**Sky: Yesh :3**

* * *

_Halfpaw watched in horror as _Tigerheart was whacked into the air with a sickening _crunch!_ He sailed a good three fox-lengths in the air before landing in the middle of the road.

Dovewing let out a cry, but was held back by Lionblaze.

"Wait," he hissed. "Don't go trampling there only to be hit by a monster."

Jayfeather blinked. "Ouch. That's gotta hurt."

The six of them rolled their eyes and Halfpaw muttered, "Duh."

Lionblaze shoved Dovewing back and crouched, his amber eyes alert. He tensed as a pause came, and leaped on the Thunderpath.

Cinderheart suddenly shrieked, "Lionblaze!"

Halfpaw turned her head to see a second monster, with a flashing dark blue pelt roaring toward them. It's hard black paws carried it speedily, and Halfpaw could just imagine Lionblaze being hit all too easily.

But Lionblaze managed to grab Tigerheart's scruff and ran over, the monster just skimming past the golden tabby tom's tail, ruffling the fur. Halfpaw let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she padded over to examine Tigerheart, but Jayfeather beat her to it.

"No broken bones, twisted paw~it should heal in a bit~, bruises that will need poppy seed, and he got hit in the head." Jayfeather lifted his own head. "All in all, nothing serious, with the exception of memory loss."

"What do you mean, _memory loss_?" Halfpaw asked.

Jayfeather rolled his eyes. "I mean he might have lost his memory. Duh." Clearly, Jayfeather was giving her payback for her earlier comment.

"So what are we going to do?" Silver asked.

Lionblaze dipped his head toward her. "Well, we can haul Tigerheart on the Twoleg pelt along with Cinderheart and the kits. It's been a real pleasure meeting you, really, but we need to be~"

"~whoa, whoa, whoa," Silver interuppted. "Who said anything about leaving? I'm _going _with you. Seriously. After that female Twoleg threw me out, I realized that the Twolegs only want us for playthings, nothing else." her eyes blazed, unusually determined. "And I want to train to become a warrior."

Halfpaw saw Lionblaze exchange a glance with Cinderheart, then reluctantly sighed. "Alright, Silver. But you have to help carry them."

Silver didn't seem at all downcast. In fact, Halfpaw could imagine her as an eager apprentice, her first time exploring the territory.

After a while, Tigerheart came to.

"Ow, my head's throbbing," Tigerheart complained, cracking open an eye. "And what

in the name of StarClan am I doing here?"

"Mama! Tigahat is awake!" squeaked Morningkit.

Halfpaw saw Cinderheart and Lionblaze exchange amused glances, and Dovewing purred.

"What happened?" Tigerheart continued, ignoring Morningkit. "The last thing I remember is being hit by a monster...and that _hurt_."

"Told you," Jayfeather murmured in Halfpaw's ear. Halfpaw playfully swiped him on his ear.

"Tigerheart," Cinderheart meowed. "Jayfeather said that you were in danger of having memory loss. So we're going to check now, okay?"

"'Kay," Tigerheart mumbled.

"Who is your mother?" Cinderheart asked.

"Tawnypelt."

"Father?" Lionblaze inquired.

"Rowanclaw."

"Siblings?" Halfpaw questioned.

"Dawnpelt and Flametail. Flametail was a medicine cat and died."

"Are you a part of ShadowClan?" Lionblaze.

"Not anymore. They exiled me for reasons I don't know."

Halfpaw crinkled her nose in confusion. _But...I thought Lionblaze told me that he was exiled because he was meeting Dovewing?_

"Who's your mate?" Dovewing asked, her voice trembling. Tigerheart gave her a blank stare.

"What are you talking about? And who _are _you, anyway? I have no mate."

* * *

Triumph surged through Amberpaw as Scorchfur coughed up blood. "You," he rasped. "Will be an excellent addition to the~" his throat welled up with more blood and clotted together. Scorchfur gasped and choked on the blood again before his body went into spasms and he went limp.

_Not the wisest way, _Amberpaw heard Bluestar lecture, _You shouldn't have killed him._

"He was attacking our Clan!" Amberpaw argued. "I _had _to protect Poppyfrost and Seedflower. Imagine what would happen to Sorreltail if they died. She's already lost Molepaw and Honeyfern." the nursery tales were actually quite accurate.

Amberpaw felt Bluestar relent, then she meowed, _I will leave now. Brace yourself._

"Wha~" Amberpaw began to say, but all of a sudden, dizziness overwhelmed her and she collapsed on the spot, gasping for breath. She coughed up blood, alike to how Scorchfur reacted.

"Amberpaw?" Amberpaw heard a muffled voice, and saw a white figure bending over her. Snowpaw. "Are you alright?"

"H-h-_hurts_," Amberpaw choked out, before spiraling into darkness.

* * *

When Amberpaw opened her eyes again, she was back in the medicine cat's den. Seedflower had come to, and she was talking in a muffled voice toward Briarlight.

"~oppyfrost, Amberpaw and Birchfall all have greencough. Poppyfrost and Birchfall are doing okay, but Amberpaw isn't reacting to the treatment."

_Isn't reacting to the treatment... Isn't reacting to the treatment... Isn't reacting to the treatment... _Seedflower's words rang through her mind.

"Seedflower," Amberpaw managed to choke out, and Seedflower and Briarlight turned their heads toward her. "What is greencough?" she asked, though she already knew what it was.

"Amberpaw..." Seedflower meowed softly, "Greencough is a severe chest infection. It is usually treated with catmint. It's fatality rates are forty percent. It comes every leafbare."

_And takes lives with it, _Amberpaw inwardly thought, remembering Amberkit. _Is that what will happen to me? Will I succumb to greencough?_

"Normally, patients survive, but if they don't react to the catmint..."

_They die, _Amberpaw finished Seedflower's sentence.

"I know what happens if they don't react," Amberpaw mewed softly. "I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"No," Seedflower meowed fiercely. "Not while I'm still breathing. Amberpaw, you're only an eight-moon-old apprentice. You aren't going to die just yet. You have your entire life ahead of you."

"Can I come in?" a figure asked from the entrance.

Seedflower dipped her head. "Of course, Thornclaw." she meowed.

"I'd like some time alone, please," Amberpaw didn't know if it was more of a statement or a question.

"Very well," Seedflower dipped her head, and she and Briarlight walked~or in Briarlight's case, dragged~out of the den, into the frigid snow.

"Hello, Amberpaw," Thornclaw meowed calmly.

"Hello..._father_," Amberpaw spat.

"I take it you're still angry at me?"

"Yes."

Thornclaw sighed. "When Brightheart and Cloudtail had their first kit, Whitewing, they seemed so happy. They were overjoyed at the prospect of being parents. And they were good ones, too. They always looked out for her, always talked to her, even groomed her after she became an apprentice.

"And then I met your mother. At first she was a stubborn one. She clearly was a fighter, but she was a medicine cat. After a few Gatherings, we had become good friends, so, at the lake, we agreed to meet each other every few nights."

"But that's against the warrior code," Amberpaw protested. "You knew you were doing something wrong, yet you did nothing to stop it."

"You do stupid things like that when you're in love," Thornclaw stated. "And right after the final battle with the Dark Forest, she admitted that she was expecting my kits. I was completely mortified at the prospect of having kits, but, after a Gathering three moons ago, Mothwing confessed that she couldn't properly take care of you two, so she snuck them to me."

"And that's how I got here and not in RiverClan." Amberpaw mewed flatly.

Thornclaw suddenly got a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "I thought you should thank me. You seem especially fond of that Snowpaw." when a wave of embarrassment washed over Amberpaw, he continued, "He's really nice, and he really likes you. I don't think you would've met him if you were in RiverClan."

_No, indeed, _Amberpaw thought, but, just then, another figure came into the den. Snowpaw.

"Hi Thornclaw," Snowpaw greeted. "Mind if I talk to her alone?"

Thornclaw nodded. "Sure," he mewed breezily, shooting Amberpaw a knowing glance, which made her flush.

"So," Snowpaw meowed once Thornclaw was gone. "You've got greencough?"

Amberpaw nodded. "Yep," she was broken off as she collapsed in a fit of coughs and she curled up in her musty moss.

"I can get more moss, if you'd like," Snowpaw offered.

Amberpaw shook her head. "No thanks," she murmured. "There's no use getting moss for a cat that's about to die, anyway."

Snowpaw seemed shocked that Amberpaw had even dared to say it. "Don't say that!" he mewed.

"Why?" Amberpaw inquired, surprisingly calm. "It's the truth."

"Really," Snowpaw's voice was no more than a whisper now, and Amberpaw found that he was uncomfortably close to her. "Don't say that. Amberkit said that when we were kits, and then she died the day after."

Amberpaw closed her eyes, burying her head in his fur. "There's no use trying to fight it," she mewed through a mouthful of fur. Then her eyes widened and she gasped. She fell over with a _thump! _and started gasping for breath. Her chest and lungs hurt. It felt like something was squeezing her windpipe and wouldn't let go.

Snowpaw stood up, his eyes filled with horror. "This...was what Amberkit was like," he mewed in horror. "Should I get Seedflower?"

"No," Amberpaw choked out, before gasping again.

"Amberpaw!" Snowpaw's voice rose up an octave, something that Amberpaw would've found funny if she wasn't dying.

"It's too late," she whispered. "I guess I'll never fill out the destiny I've always wanted."

"Amberpaw." Amberpaw's vision was starting to get fuzzy, and Snowpaw was nothing but a blur of white and amber. "I know I've told you before, but...but when you go to StarClan, remember that I love you."

Amberpaw tried to say her feelings that she had always longed to say, but her throat seized up, and she felt herself weaken. Her eyesight was beginning to disappear now. She forced herself to keep staring at Snowpaw. She wanted him to be the last thing she saw before she died.

And then she felt her heartbeat slow, and completely stop. She felt herself rising and rising, and she knew she had died. Oddly, a feeling of peace and calm swept over her, and she closed her eyes...

...until she opened them to see Bluestar.

"Hello, Amberpaw." Bluestar greeted.

"So," Amberpaw mewed slowly, "I'm dead. Wow, I expected to go to the Dark Forest."

Bluestar laughed. "You aren't dying just yet," she meowed. "Amberpaw, you're important. Even more than you realize. StarClan can't afford for you to die right now." Bluestar flicked her faded tail. "Follow me."

Amberpaw scrambled after her, her paws treading on the yellow and dying grass. Finally, she stopped beside Bluestar, who was standing beside a clear, puddle of water. The water had stars in it.

"This is star water," Bluestar mewed. "This is what we used to heal Jayfeather when he was a kit, too. Drink."

Hesitantly, Amberpaw leaned down and licked. The cool, soothing water melted down her throat. She lapped up more, until all the pain she felt in her body was gone. She felt like how she would've felt before greencough. Before whitecough, actually.

"That's enough," the tip of Bluestar's tail rested on Amberpaw's shoulder, and Amberpaw lifted her head, her muzzle still dripping.

She touched noses with her. "Goodbye, Amberpaw."

Amberpaw closed her eyes as she descended back into the hollow, letting herself rest back inside her body. When she opened her eyes, she saw Snowpaw, his back turned to her, stifling sobs. "And then she just died." he seemed to be talking to Seedflower.

Seedflower was sympathetic. "You've lost Amberkit, and now Amberpaw. It must be hard on you, but it can't be helped. We might as well bury her."

Thornclaw, whom Amberpaw realized was in the den, sighed mournfully.

Slowly, Amberpaw sat up, shaking scraps of moss from her pelt. The moss reeked of sickness, but she felt renewed and fresh. Startled by the sudden movement, Seedflower, Snowpaw and Thornclaw turned to her, their eyes wide on what they were seeing.

"Surprise," Amberpaw meowed.

* * *

**Sooo...REVIEW AND VOTE ON THE POLL ON MY PROFILE PAGE! And now here's our quote. **

* * *

**Quote: **

_**"Hey, are you on this hunting patrol or not?" **_

_**-Millie, to Dovewing and Ivypool in "The Forgotten Warrior"**_

* * *

**Yeah...really boring quote. Deal with it :P AND SERIOUSLY PPLZ DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! P.S Check out xTheShadowNinjax's(my alternate account) story. I've just started it and wanna see what you guys think about it. And REVIEW! I want 300 reviews by the time chapter 33 is up! And this is chapter 28...**

**-Sky**


	29. Return

**OMG! Guys, I'm so sorry that I updated later than usual, but my computer broke, so I had to wait for it to be fixed before I could update this...so, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Tigerheart, can you do the disclaimer?  
**

**Tigerheart: What's a disclaimer?  
**

**Sky: Rats. *starts tearing up*  
**

**Tigerheart: WAIT! DON'T CRY! I'LL DO IT! ...how do I do it?  
**

**Sky: Say I don't own Warriors.**

**Tigerheart: Sky doesn't own Warriors.  
**

**Sky: Yayz!**

* * *

_For the next few days, the _weather was slushy and cold. Leafbare refused to back off, which meant that the cats were traveling belly-deep in freezing snow. A snowflake landed on Dovewing's nose and she flicked it off crossly. _If this keeps up, I'm going to be whiter than Whitewing! _Just thinking about her mother sent pangs of longing.

A thorn pricked at her pad, but Dovewing ignored it. Stretching out her senses, she attempted to reach ThunderClan camp, and recoiled at what she heard. _Great StarClan! Are they at war with ShadowClan? _A twinge of annoyance was sent through her. _They need to be _working _together, not fighting! _Dovewing gritted her teeth. _How in StarClan are we going to beat the Dark Forest this time whey they're squabbling like kits?_

Suddenly, a huge prick of pain shot through her pad. Huffing with frustration, Dovewing lifted her paw, revealing a large thorn that was stuck. Tiny amounts of blood oozed around it, making Dovewing remember about the day they had fought the wolves. She shuddered. They still terrified her.

Dovewing leaned down and firmly licked at the thorn, coaxing it out of her pad. When it was out enough for her to take it out herself, Dovewing latched her teeth around it and pulled. For a moment, intense pain shot through her paw, then it stilled.

"Dovewing? Are you coming?" Dovewing looked up and realized that she was lagging. Silver watched her with an odd look.

"What's that?" Silver asked curiously, looking at the thorn in her jaws.

Dovewing spat it out and licked her paw once more. "It's a thorn," she explained. "If you tread on it, it might get stuck in your pad. Then you'll have to take it out, like I just did."

Silver's eyes were huge blue saucers. "Wow. You know a lot."

Dovewing shrugged. "You get used to it."

Silver sighed. "I hope so."

As Dovewing looked at Silver and realized that the former kittypet was hoping she would adjust to the wild. _It must be hard, _Dovewing thought, _To leave your home, and everything you've ever known. Silver is brave. _She studied the silver she-cat. She was proving to be an excellent hunter and never complained or lagged behind. She was always in a cheerful mood, unless you woke her up by prodding her with a stick, that is. She was also good with the kits.

Dovewing watched as Silver took a sniff in the air, and froze. She waved her tail to the rest of the group, and they also stopped. Crouching down, and careful not to make any crunching noises on the snow, she waggled her haunches and sprang. Dovewing heard a squeak and knew Silver had hit her target. Silver returned with her head held high as a mouse drooped from her jaws.

"Give that to Cinderheart," Lionblaze instructed. Silver simply nodded and bounced forward, dropping the prey on the Twoleg pelt. Cinderheart promptly gulped it.

While they traveled, Dovewing couldn't help but glance at Tigerheart. His injuries had quickly healed, though his memory didn't. Every day, Dovewing padded up to him and asked him if he wanted to share some fresh-kill. He would always stare blankly at her and ask, "Who are you again?" It seemed that a certain part of his mind was insistent on him not knowing who she was.

Dovewing limped on, her paw still dripping blood. She didn't mind, though. The snow kept it numb, cool and clean, preventing any chance of infection, though she left a trail of blood wherever she walked. Silver fell in step beside her.

"Hi, Dovewing," she greeted.

Dovewing gave her a polite nod. "Hi."

Silver sniffed the air. "You know what? All your blood reminds me of something my male Twoleg used to watch. I think it was something about wolves being able to track strongly only by scent? Their noses are so much better than cats. That is so cool. If I have a kit in your Clan, I'm _definitely_ going to name him Wolfkit."

"Cool," Dovewing murmured, not really paying attention as she stared at Tigerheart.

Silver babbled on, as if she didn't realize that she was speaking to someone _who absolutely did not care about wolves_.

"Wait," Lionblaze meowed suddenly, stopping and turning to Silver, his ears pricked. "Did you say that wolves could track blood that they've smelled before?"

Silver, surprised at the sudden attention, nodded uneasily.

Lionblaze gritted his teeth. "That's not very good news."

Even as he was speaking, the ferns around them rustled, and wolf-scent began to surround them.

The wolves emerged from the ferns, their jaws gaping, every bit as terrifying as Dovewing had first heard them, only this time, their numbers were double. They weren't letting them get away with murdering their Alpha.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant situation," Jayfeather muttered sarcastically.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight: You died of greencough, where StarClan fed you star water, and you came back," Seedflower stated flatly.

Amberpaw sighed grumpily. "_Yes, _Seedflower. That happened."

Seedflower shrugged. "I just thought it would be odd," she murmured, giving her a look.

"So, now that you're back, ahem, _yay_, go out hunting. Purdy and Sandstorm have been refusing their share of prey to feed Squirrelflight, Icecloud and Daisy." mewed Amberpaw's least-favorite spider from the corner of the medicine cat's den.

Daisy had been pregnant with Spiderleg's second litter of kits, and they were apparently trying a fresh start.

"Speaking of Daisy's kits, they should be born in just under two moons~" Spiderleg started, but was interrupted by Snowpaw.

"We _know_," Snowpaw scowled. "How many times have you told us? Six? Seven? _Ten hundred thousand?_"

"Only a hundred or so," Spiderleg mumbled under his breath, and then he raised his voice, "But anyhow, you two should go out hunting. The fresh-kill pile's almost empty, and Squirrelflight's kits will start eating prey in a moon."

The two apprentices nodded and left the den.

The moment Amberpaw exited ThunderClan camp, she caught scent of a snow hare. Snowpaw looked at her, then mouthed, _Scare it over here. Then I'll catch it_. Then he crouched down and shut his eyes, but Amberpaw squinted, and saw that his ears were pricked, so that his amber orbs wouldn't be seen. With a white pelt, Snowpaw blended perfectly within the snow, whereas Amberpaw, on the other paw, stood out like a ray of sun. Her golden-brown pelt glimmered, sure to scare away prey. Amberpaw smeared a little snow on her pelt, attempting to do at least _some _hiding.

She crouched low, and pinpointed the hare. The little white thing nibbled on some dying greenish-brown shoots that poked though the snow, and every rib was shown. The hare must've been very desperate to eat if it chose to eat _here_, right next to a place with many cats.

She stalked around it, taking great care not to make the snow collapse under her weight, and, letting her scent blow, she yowled loudly, frightening the hare.

The hare shot faster than the wind...right into Snowpaw's claws. By the time Snowpaw opened his eyes and revealed his amber eyes, which clearly stood out in the snow, it was too late, and moments later he stood with a limp snow hare hanging from his jaws.

"Great catch," he praised. Amberpaw shrugged.

"We both caught it," she replied.

After a few more sucessful catches, Amberpaw caught whiff of an unfamiliar scent. Faintly, it smelled like Twoleg nests (cue nose wrinkle), but oak, pine, and forest scents overlapped it.

_Probably just a former kittypet wandering though our forest, not knowing it was our territory, _Amberpaw thought, _We'll deal with them quickly. No need to tell Bramblestar._

She motioned to Snowpaw, who had also scented the former kittypet. He nodded and parted his jaws, scenting the air more throughly. The scent seemed fresh, and it lead a clear, winding trail around ThunderClan camp.

"Weird," Amberpaw muttered as they continued to track the scent. "Whoever this cat is, they must really want to be caught." what she said wasn't untrue. The former kittypet must be challenging ThunderClan, by leaving such a deliberate scent behind.

Grunting with frustration as she made her way though a patch of wild garlic~which smothered the scent until it was almost indistinguishable~she circled once more the camp. This trail was beginning to become redundant.

Suddenly, Snowpaw stopped and shook his head. "I'm a mousebrain!" he exclaimed. "No wonder we've been walking around ThunderClan camp. The scent trail is smudged together!" he looked sharply to his left, opposite of the camp. "The kittypet must've jumped and rolled in those ferns to mask her scent."

Amberpaw nodded her agreement, and she set on tracking the scent of wet ferns, now. The problem was, many ferns grew in ThunderClan territory, and most scent trails were simply the scent of the ferns blown over by the wind. Exhausted, Amberpaw sat down, her tail tip twitching in frustration.

"I give up!" she yelled. "This is just too difficult!" under her breath, she grumbled, "Outsmarted by a _kittypet_. Nice going, Amberpaw."

Snowpaw sighed, sitting down beside her. "This is one clever kittypet," he admitted, "But we can't give up! We need to find the intruder!"

Reluctantly, Amberpaw followed Snowpaw once more, in a crouch, scenting for ferns. Now she knew to also scent the faint Twoleg scent that was smothered beneath forest scents. Finally, she tracked it to a honeysuckle bush.

Amberpaw looked at Snowpaw, who nodded. _One, two, three! _they both counted silently, before leaping and drawing back the bush.

They were face-to-face with an elderly she-cat and tom.

The she-cat was a light brown tabby with a white underbelly and white paws, which reminded Amberpaw of Leafpool. The tom bore a snow-white pelt along with glowing yellow eyes. The she-cat wore a raggedy collar.

"You two," Amberpaw began, "Caused us a great deal of trouble. Just who are you, anyway?"

The tom spoke first. "My name is Frostbite, and I am a former kittypet. I left my Twoleg nest because my Twolegs died and I had nowhere else to go, so I went for my mate, whose Twolegs had also coincidently died."

Amberpaw narrowed her eyes. Why did this pair remind her so much of Snowpaw and Cloudtail? "Why did you confuse us like that?"

The tabby she-cat spoke up. "We are old, and certainly cannot care for ourselves. We seek help and shelter, although we weren't sure what kind of cat we would meet. Only a very determined and skilled cat would've made it though the tests we put."

_And I almost gave up, _Amberpaw thought.

"Furthermore," the she-cat continued. "If any rogues had found us, our scent-lines would've been our last line of defense, seeing as we can't fight very well in our...condition."

Snowpaw was staring at the pair in wonder, and Amberpaw asked a final time, "What do you want with us?"

"Why, that's simple!" the she-cat exclaimed. "Could you take us to your camp?"

Snowpaw and Amberpaw exchanged uneasy glances. "How do you know so much about the Clans?" Snowpaw questioned.

"You'll see," the she-cat responded, before rebuking, "Would you please show us? It's not very nice to keep a pair of elderly cats waiting in this frigid snow."

Reluctantly, Amberpaw and Snowpaw showed the elderly cats the way to the camp, although Amberpaw suspected that the she-cat and tom already knew.

When they entered the tunnel, cats turned heads. A crowd of cats surrounded them, and murmurs were muttered. Bramblestar emerged from the crowd. Clearly, he had to fight his way though.

"Snowpaw? Amberpaw? Would you please...explain who these cats are?"

Cloudtail and Brightheart had a stricken look on their faces, and Cloudtail blinked with disbelief.

The she-cat spoke up, her voice surprisingly strong. "My name is Princess, and I have come to ThunderClan's new territory in search of my brother, Firestar."

* * *

Halfpaw howled in pain as she was bowled over by a wolf. Struggling, she shoved him off and ripped his ear, remembering what Lionblaze had taught her. _At this rate, we'll need to _kill _all of them to save our lives!_

Every cat except for her was fighting two-on-one. Even Cinderheart and Jayfeather. Halfpaw desperately wanted to help Jay's Wing or save the kits, but there was no need for that. Silver circled protectively around the kits, and she yowled, "Never mind! I don't think I'd name my kit Wolfkit even if my life depended on it!"

"Great StarClan, Dovewing, did you _have _to cut your paw on a thorn?" Jayfeather yelled as he was shoved to the ground, dirt splattering over his muzzle.

The wolf that Halfpaw fought was a dusky gray. "Do we have to _kill _them?" she asked as a stinging blow was delievered to her cheek. The blood that dripped out landed on the snow, blossoming into what looked like poppy petals.

Lionblaze snapped the neck of one of the wolves he fought before yowling, "Yes!"

Halfpaw gritted her teeth. She extremely disliked killing _any _sort of creature, even the bear that had terrorized her during her reign as Teller of the Pointed Stones, but nevertheless, she reared up and sank her teeth in the wolf's neck, snapping it cleanly in half. The wolf twitched once, then went limp.

Curling her lip with distaste, Halfpaw whipped around and leaped onto the back of one of the wolves attacking Jayfeather. She cuffed the wolf around the ears with pricked claws, before snapping it's neck. Jayfeather managed to subdue the other wolf enough for him to kill it.

One by one, the wolves were picked off, until only a lone she-wolf, midnight-black, stood. She whimpered pitifully, looking at her comrades, before running with her tail between her legs.

"Now that _that_'s done..." Cinderheart muttered as Sootkit, Morningkit and Leafkit woke from their nap.

"Mama, did we miss anything?" Sootkit asked.

* * *

**lol...who doesn't love kits? And DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW AND VOTE ON THE POLL ON MY PROFILE PAGE! Seriously. I have 41 follows and 39 favs. I think that a lot more people could vote on the poll. **

* * *

**Quote: **

_**"In your dreams, kits. The other apprentices will tell you where you're going to sleep. And your mentors will tell you when to patrol, and who to go with."**_

_**-Jayfeather, to Ivykit and Dovekit in "The Fourth Apprentice"**_

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**And there ya have it! Signing out!**

**-Sky**


	30. Ravenpaw

**Okay...this chapter's a little boring, but neccesary. Chapter 28 is officially the most-reviewed chapter with 28 reviews!(lol, that's ironic) my last chapter got 9 reviews, so I guess that's acceptable...**

**Disclaimer: Okay, Lionblaze, it's your turn.**

**Lionblaze: You can't hurt me! So no!**

**Sky: But I can hurt your kits.**

**Lionblaze: OMG! _OKAY! OKAY! I'LL DO IT! _****Sky doesn't own Warriors**

**Sky: xD I always get what I want.**

* * *

_A moon had passed since _the wolves attacked. Lionblaze firmly held up his part of the Twoleg pelt as his kits, Sootkit, Morningkit and Leafkit happily suckled at their mother's belly. Cinderheart looked at her three kits with pride, and, suddenly, an ache grew in his heart. _Starkit_. He had not thought of his little daughter for a while, but he hoped that she was safe in StarClan.

"Break," Tigerheart suddenly moaned. "My head is pounding." And, without further ado, he promptly dropped his part of the Twoleg pelt, letting the kits and Cinderheart tumble off.

"Tigerheart!" Lionblaze protested, even as he helped his kits get to their tiny paws.

Halfpaw shook her head. "No," she cautioned. "Let him. It's probably~"

"~an aftereffect of getting hit by that monster. He probably hasn't fully recovered." Jayfeather finished.

Halfpaw gritted her teeth, but said nothing as the group settled down and Lionblaze, Dovewing and herself set out to find prey.

Once they returned~their jaws filled with delicious food, no doubt~Tigerheart moaned and clutched at his head with paws. "Featherjay, can't you give me any herbs for this?"

"It's _Jayfeather_," Jayfeather mumbled, before raising his voice. "And, no, I don't. I can give you some poppy seeds to numb the pain, if you'd like," he offered.  
Tigerheart shook his head. "No, it's okay. There won't be much plants growing around here anyway, since it's leafbare and all."

It was true. The earth was still frozen and blanketed over with a thick layer of white, fluffy powder. Jayfeather grunted in response as he clamped his jaws over a robin.

After a moment of rest, the group urged Tigerheart on, and even Silver had taken his place in carrying Cinderheart and the kits, but he still stumbled like a newborn kit.

"It's like there's something in my head and it's attacking from the inside," Tigerheart muttered.

Jayfeather rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Exaggerated," under his breath and Tigerheart scowled at him.

Suddenly, the ten of them (including the kits) were aware of large mountains stretching high toward the sky in what looked like an attempt to scratch it. The clouds didn't look far from the tips of the mountains, which, in leafbare, were capped with snow.

"Highstones!" Cinderheart exclaimed from the top of the Twoleg pelt. "Leafpool told me about them. Apparently, it used to be a way of communication to StarClan in the old forest, with a large rock called the Moonstone."

"I can see why it's called _High_stones," Silver laughed, but then flattened her ears defensively when no cat laughed to her joke.

Dovewing lifted her tail happily. "That means we must be close to the old forest."

"Speaking of which," Halfpaw stated. "I think that we should go to Fourtrees, where all four Clans used to meet." she gazed at the back of Highstones, as if trying to see what was behind it. "I just hope there's _some _Fourtrees left for us to visit." she glanced around darkly. "I know how Twolegs can be, with all their monsters spewing smog and stuff."

With a groan, all six cats (minus the ones being carried) started climbing the rocky slope. Lionblaze in particular didn't mind, because, even though they pricked at his pads, they couldn't injure them. His companions, though, were a different matter.  
For one, it was hard to carry the Twoleg pelt between his jaws while climbing the uneven rocky ground, but spiked stones and gravel were easily caught in his claws, making it painful to walk. Cinderheart sighed.

"I wish I could walk," she meowed. "But what would happen to the kits?" Sootkit, Leafkit and Morningkit were now a moon old, but, with their tiny frames, Lionblaze guessed that they would have to wait six more moons, seeing as they were kitted a moon earlier than they were supposed to be.

Less than halfway Lionblaze's legs began to ache. With a sudden stop, he mewed, "Hey, wait, why can't we go _around _Highstones instead?"

The cats widened their eyes as his words sunk in, and Lionblaze was pretty sure they all felt like mousebrains at the moment. They got off the rocky slope and sighed as snow numbed their aching paws. Then, they set out _around _it this time.

It was a while before they managed to completely pass Highstones, and, once they were past the rocky mountains, night had fallen.

"Great," Jayfeather groaned. "_Now _where are we going to stay?"

Lionblaze sighed. "I don~" he began to reply, but Dovewing interrupted him.

"Wait!" she yowled. "I found a barn, and it's teeming with mice. We can stay there for the night."

Tigerheart sighed. "Finally," he muttered. "No more traveling."

Right as they snuck into the barn, they smelled cats.

"Fox dung," Silver whispered, her blue eyes glowing with fear, still visible in the dim light.

A snarl erupted and Lionblaze was bowled back by a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat. She seemed slightly older than Squirrelflight, and she glared at him menacingly.

"Who are you?" she spat. "This is _my _territory!"

A sigh was heard from the back. "Fern, did you attack something?" a plump black tom emerged, with a white chest and a white-tipped tail. He looked at them with curious amber eyes, and then they widened. "You...you smell of ThunderClan." he dipped his head. "My name is Ravenpaw."

At the sound of that name, Cinderheart gasped. "I've heard of you in nursery stories! You left ThunderClan and became a loner, right?"

Ravenpaw nodded. "Correct." he eyed Lionblaze. "I'm guessing you're Firestar's kin? How is he doing?"

Lionblaze nodded. "Jayfeather and I," he flicked his tail to indicate his blind brother. "are sons of..." he hesitated, then decided that he should tell Ravenpaw the truth. "Of Leafpool and Crowfeather."

Ravenpaw blinked. "Isn't Leafpaw~er, Leaf_pool _a medicine cat? And who is Crowfeather?"

Lionblaze cringed. "Yes, Leafpool was a medicine cat, and Crowfeather is of WindClan."

Ravenpaw whistled. "Well..." he abruptly changed the subject. "So how is ThunderClan doing?"

Dovewing answered bluntly, "Dustpelt is dead. Firestar is dead. Leafpool is dead."

Ravenpaw let his jaw drop. "What...what about Sandstorm and Graystripe?" he asked weakly.

Dovewing nodded. "Alive." she looked at him in the eye. "I am the daughter of Whitewing~"

"Oh, you mean Whitepaw?" Ravenpaw asked. "I remember her when you all were leaving for the Great Journey." he shuddered. "Horrible. The monsters tore up trees with savagery. A lot of cats and prey died."

Cinderheart hesitated. "And...who is this Fern? And where is Barley?"

Ravenpaw bit his lip. "Barley is dead," he confessed, "And Fern is my mate."

Fern seemed calmer now, and she put her tail protectively around Ravenpaw's back. "He found me, half-starved, near the Thunderpath. That was soon after Barley died, so I joined him in the barn." she hesitated, as if embarrassed about something. "A few moons later I had my first litter."

"Mother?" A voice called from the back. "Who are you talking to?" a black-and-white tom, not unlike Ravenpaw, emerged, and his blue eyes widened. "Fern, Ravenpaw, who are these cats?"

"Guests," Fern replied. "Go get your littermate."

"I'm already here," called another cat, who was tortoiseshell-and-black. She eyed them with amber eyes. "Hello. I'm Petal, and my mousebrain of a littermate here is Rocky."

"Hey!" Rocky cried angrily. "I'm not a mousebrain!" the two of them looked around Silver's age.

Then, three kits ran over. They were apprentice age, and they bounced around them, full of excitement and energy.

"I'm Moss," proclaimed a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with green eyes, who looked like a miniature Fern, but Fern's eyes were blue, while Moss's eyes were green.

"I'm Storm," meowed a stocky and fluffy gray tom. Storm had inherited his father's eyes, which were amber.

"I'm Black!" yowled the last tom, who was pure black with green eyes.

"Yes, yes you are," Silver mumbled under her breath, earning herself a laugh this time.

"Hey!" Black protested.

Ravenpaw purred at his son, while Lionblaze mewed, "Could we stay here for the night?"

"Sure!" Moss exclaimed energetically, bowling him over.

Lionblaze laughed, amused at the young she-cat's energy. She reminded him of the apprentices from ThunderClan. Suddenly, a pang went through him.

_What will happen if we die before returning to ThunderClan?_

* * *

It had been a moon since Princess and Frostbite's arrival. Surprisingly, Princess took the news of her brother dead quite easily. They had both entered the elders' den, and they were quick to distribute battle tactics for ShadowClan. In fact, Bramblestar went to Princess, Frostbite and Purdy regularly for more battle plans.

Amberpaw watched as a hunting patrol returned, with fruitless efforts. Only Brackenfur had managed to catch something, and that was only a tiny, skinny mouse. Whitekit ran out from the nursery and took the mouse without a second thought, and returned to the nursery, where Lightningkit and Featherkit were waiting.

Brackenfur sighed, and started to go out again, before wobbling on his paws and collapsing on the ground.

Some cat uttered a cry of horror and Seedflower rushed out. When she returned, Brightheart and Thornclaw were beside their brother. "What happened?" Thornclaw demanded brusquely.

Seedflower sighed, and Amberpaw realized that every cat's ribs were showing. ThunderClan was starving, thanks to ShadowClan.

"He just collapsed from hunger," Seedflower meowed weakly. "Like we all will soon if newleaf doesn't come fast enough."

Amberpaw had seen enough. Flicking her tail to make Snowpaw come over, they both left the camp.

"What are we doing?" Snowpaw asked.

Amberpaw continued at a brisk pace. Her belly rumbled with hunger, but she ignored it. "You'll see." she replied.

They had reached ThunderClan's scent markers, and outside was unknown territory. Amberpaw continued straight though them.

"Hey!" Snowpaw protested. "What are you doing?"

Amberpaw looked back at him. "There's nothing in the warrior code that says we aren't allowed to hunt in no cat's territory." she sniffed the air. "When Dovewing was still my mentor, she told me about deers that lived beyond our territory."

"You mean..." Snowpaw's eyes widened. "You mean we're going to..."

Amberpaw sighed. "Of course, Snowpaw. We're all starving. We need bigger prey." She found a sturdy stick, and rolled it in some deer dung. Then she smeared it all around a tree and hid herself. Snowpaw stared at her.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Amberpaw scowled. "_Hide_!"

Reluctantly, Snowpaw joined her behind the tree.

After a while, a deer came wandering near the dung, out of curiosity. It bent down to sniff the dung, while Amberpaw hissed, "Now!"

Quick as lightning, the two apprentices sprang out, digging their teeth and claws in the deer's neck. Amberpaw made sure that her teeth and claws scraped bone before pulling them out.

The deer twitched, blood pooling around it, before it stilled.

Amberpaw sighed. "Great. Now let's hide it."

After the deer carcass had been buried under amounts of snow, another deer had come, also curious about the dung. Again, the two apprentices swiftly brought it down. Amberpaw dug up their first deer and clutched at it's leg with her teeth. "Come on," she mumbled, trying not to drool. The deer smelled so good! "Let's go back to camp."

Wearily, Snowpaw and Amberpaw dragged a deer each, until they arrived back at camp.

Amberpaw couldn't remember what had happened next, except for the fact that the cats happily feasted off of deer. They were skinny, sure, but they were also big, and ThunderClan limited the food. After a bit, only one deer remained. Brackenfur sat up, conscious now, and it seemed that, for once, every cat's belly were full.

Bramblestar yowled from the Highledge, "Let all cats old enough to catch their prey gather under the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Soon, a crowd of cats were under the Highledge, looking at Bramblestar expectantly.

Bramblestar cleared his throat. "We are here because two apprentices have proved themselves able to become warriors." he looked directly at the two. "Snowpaw and Amberpaw."

* * *

**Yeah! So review and vote on Amberpaw's warrior name on my profile page! Cuz two of them are tied...so...**

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**Quote: **

_**"Oh, really? And you, a blind medicine cat, think you can stop me, do you? When her [Poppyfrost] body is found drowned in your precious pool, it'll be your word against mine. My Clanmates can lie as well as yours, Jayfeather." **_

_**-Breezepelt to Jayfeather at the Moonpool with Poppyfrost in "The Fourth Apprentice**_

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**See you next time!**

**-Sky**


	31. Competition

**So...sorry for the (sorta) late update, but I HAS A LIFE PEOPLES! I was hanging out with my friends.**

**Disclaimer: Do it, Dovewing.**

**Dovewing: *sighs* Sky does not own Warriors.**

* * *

_When Jayfeather woke up_, he could sense that Fern and Ravenpaw were already wide awake, and had caught a few juicy, plump mice. Jayfeather's mouth watered. How long had it been since he had actually ate non-skinny prey?

"Here," A brusque voice meowed, whom Jayfeather recognized as Rocky."Eat." There was a _thump_, and Jayfeather felt a mouse sitting between his paws.

Dipping his head in thanks, he ate ravenously, finishing the mouse in just a few bites. Some cat groaned and stirred beside him. _Moss._

"Hi Jayfeather! Oh, are you awake? Or sleeping? Or did I wake you up? Oh, well! Now you're awake!" Moss babbled on and on, reminding Jayfeather of the annoying apprentices back at ThunderClan. A pang went though him. He even missed Berrynose, despite his haughtiness.

Soon enough, the rest of the group was up and about to leave.

"Oh...um, bye, Rocky," Jayfeather heard Silver awkwardly mew. He inwardly purred.

There was a silence, then Jayfeather heard Rocky and Ravenpaw and Fern locked in a fierce debate. Finally, Ravenpaw sighed.

"What's the harm, Fern? He needs to follow his own path. We can't decide that for him. He's old enough."

Fern sighed. "I don't want that to happen, though. Very well, Rocky, you can go with them."

"He _what?_" Tigerheart exclaimed.

Jayfeather heard Rocky nervously shuffle his paws. "Uh...I'll go if you want me to, but if you don't~"

"Are you crazy?" Tigerheart exclaimed a second time. "That's awesome! More paws to help hunt!"

"And another mouth to feed," Jayfeather heard Lionblaze murmur softly, but then his brother mewed, louder, "But Rocky can come."

"Cool!" Petal yowled happily. "I'm taking your nest!"

"Hey!" Rocky protested.

After a few screams exchanged by the two littermates, Rocky gave his family goodbyes. When he got to his mother, Fern, she sighed.

"I wish you wouldn't go, my son, but," Jayfeather heard her shrug. "I can't control your destiny, so, goodbye."

It was well past sunhigh before the group managed to leave. Jayfeather huffed with annoyance. _Rocky moves slower than a dead slug! _

"Jayfeather! Watch out!"

At the sound of Lionblaze's cry, Jayfeather ducked back, just as a monster whizzed past him, barely a mouse-length away. It was so close that the wind ruffled his whiskers and fur.

"I'm alright," he mumbled, still dazed at the close call.

"Are you sure?" Halfpaw's voice rang out.

Jayfeather blearily nodded.

"Hey, what's thi~_mrrrowwww!_" Jayfeather heard Rocky yelp in alarm, and then a thud was heard.

"Rocky?" If Jayfeather had to guess, then he would think that Rocky had fallen down a hole. He was right. He heard scrabbling, and then a huff of annoyance. "I can't get back up!" he scowled.

"Wait," Jayfeather suddenly meowed, his tail shot in the air. He leaned down and sniffed. Yes, this tunnel was the one that led to the underground grove, where he saw the ginger tom and the wiry brown she-cat.

"Remember my dream?" Jayfeather asked.

Dovewing nodded. "Yeah..." he heard her gasp. "You don't mean that these...?!"  
Jayfeather nodded, imitating Dovewing's earlier gesture. "Let's go."

These tunnels ressembled in every way what his dream felt like, only this time he was blind. Oddly, he knew every pathway, every pebble, every clump of dirt. He felt himself enter a larger, more spacious place.

They had arrived at the underground grove.

He heard Silver gasp beside him. "Wow..." she murmured.

Suddenly, wind whipped around him, buffeting his fur. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't move. Then he heard a tom's deep voice, whispering to him. Beckoning him.

"_Come, Feather of Jay's Wing." _

* * *

Lionblaze yelped as wind encased him. His struggles were futile. _Cinderheart! _How were Cinderheart and the kits doing? Suddenly, a she-cat, gentle and caring, murmured in his ear.

"_Welcome, Roar of Blazing Lion."_

* * *

Dovewing shrieked loudly as the wind tore at her sides. And then, she heard a she-cat's gruff voice, as if the cat didn't wish to do it, but had to. It mewed the strangest invitation.

"_Greetings, Wing of Dove."_

* * *

Tigerheart stood, paralyzed. The wind terrified him. It formed and twisted into the shape of Tigerstar, his namesake. Before he could crumble under the pressure, a tom's voice sounded in his ear. The voice was higher than most, but still held an air of superiority.

"_It is time, Roar of Tiger's Heart." _

* * *

Cinderheart curled protectively around her kits, who were mewling, terrified. Morningkit in particular seemed frightened. Unexpectedly, a gentle she-cat's mew sounded in her ear.

"_Do not fear for your little ones, Flight of a Cinder's Heart. They shall be safe."_

* * *

Halfpaw cried in fear as the wind swirled around her. She remembered the bear of her past life, who hunted in only the strongest winds, where cats could barely see. Then, she heard the deep mew of a tom, reasurring her.

"_Never fear, Half Moon, you are safe. Come with us."_

And then, all six cats collapsed to the ground, their spirits already exiting their bodies.

* * *

"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend the Clan, even at the cost of your lives?" Bramblestar questioned.

"I do." Amberpaw's mew rang out, loudly and confidently.

"I do," Snowpaw echoed.

"Then, by the powers vested in me, I hereby give you your warrior names. Snowpaw," Bramblestar beckoned to the white tom, whose amber eyes were glinting with excitement. "From now on your name will be Snowclaw. StarClan honors your swiftness and courage." he rested his muzzle on the young tom's head, and the new warrior energetically licked his shoulder.

Then he turned to Amberpaw.

"Amberpaw, from now on, your name will be Amberstorm. StarClan honors you for loyalty and fierceness." he rested his muzzle on the newly-named Amberstorm's head, and she licked his shoulder happily.

Only...

Bramblestar honored her for her _loyalty_, but Amberstorm didn't feel very loyal training in the Dark Forest every night to extract her revenge against Thornclaw and Mothwing.

"Snowclaw! Amberstorm! Snowclaw! Amberstorm!" the Clan cheered. Amberstorm noticed that not a lot of cats put enthusiasm in chanting her name, though.

"Tonight is the Gathering," Bramblestar continued. "The cats going are Cloudtail, Bumblestripe, Rosepetal, Foxleap, Hazeltail, Blossomfall, Thornclaw, Amberstorm, Snowclaw, Dewpaw and Ivypool."

As the Clan mingled about, Amberstorm saw Cloudtail and Brightheart congratulating their son.

"Warrior! At nine moons!" Brightheart purred, already grooming her son.

Snowclaw squeaked. "Hey! I can do my own fur!"

Brightheart purred a second time. "Not this time."

Cloudtail's eyes were sparkling with pride. "See, Snowclaw, I, too, had gotten my warrior name before any other cat," Typical Cloudtail. Starts out prasing, and ends out bragging.

"And you, too!" Brightheart diverted her attention to Dewpaw, who lingered close to his brother. "You'll be warrior soon enough!"

Dewpaw snorted. "Whatever," he muttered.

"Why don't you congratulate your brother?" clearly, Brightheart had noticed the hostility between Dewpaw and Snowclaw.

Dewpaw growled softly, "Why? He's already such a _high _and _mighty _warrior already," he spat the words out, then stomped away.

Whitewing arrived just as Dewpaw left. "Well, someone's grumpy," she commented as she watched Dewpaw sulk away.

Brightheart nodded. "Yeah. He definetly inherited Cloudtail's temper." she teased.

"Hey!" Cloudtail yowled, but there was laughter in his blue eyes.

Amberstorm turned away just as Dewpaw bumped into her. "Watch where you're going!" he spat. "Clumsy mousebrain."

"Oh, shut your mouth!" Amberstorm retorted, her temper getting the better of her. "Just because we became warriors before you doesn't mean that you can mope!"

Dewpaw growled and spat at her, before leaving.

"ThunderClan!" Amberstorm's head shot up. The cats going to the Gathering were leaving. Hastily, she scrambled to her paws and shot after them, falling in step beside Rosepetal. Rosepetal didn't seem to hold any evident grudge against her, so Amberstorm figured it was safe to walk beside her.

"New warrior and already got a mate, huh?" Rosepetal suddenly teased.

Amberstorm blinked. "Who? Me?"

Rosepetal laughed. "I've seen you and Snowclaw together," she gave her a knowing glance, then unexpectedly sighed. "If only getting Foxleap was that easy."

"What? Really? You and Foxleap?" Amberstorm cringed, expecting an angry retort.

Instead, Rosepetal shot her an amused glance. "Well, there isn't any she-cat competing to go after _Snowclaw_."

Amberstorm's claws shot out from their sheaths. "I'd like to see a cat try." she scowled.

Rosepetal shot a loathing look toward Ivypool. The silver-and-white she-cat turned around and gave Rosepetal the same look.

"Let me guess~Ivypool also likes Foxleap?" Amberstorm meowed dryly.

Rosepetal snorted. "Yep. We're at each other's throats." she looked at Amberstorm. "Listen, don't let Snowclaw get away. You're lucky enough as it is to have him and no other she-cat after him. Don't be stupid like my father was."

Amberstorm remembered that Spiderleg and Daisy were Rosepetal's parents. "But Spiderleg got back together with Daisy," she tried.

Rosepetal rolled her eyes. "That's besides the point. The point is not to let Snowclaw get away." and, without further ado, she padded up beside Foxleap, striking a conversation.

"StarClan, she's good," Amberstorm mumbled. But, secretly, she was glad that she didn't have any competition against her for Snowclaw.

Unfortuately for her, she failed to notice that, before the cats at the Gathering had left, Whitekit had told Snowclaw that she really, really liked him.

* * *

**Amberstorm's got some competition! Hence the name of this chap xD. Now, here's the quote.**

* * *

**Quote:**

_**"Firestar doesn't like waffles!" **_

_**-Graystripe, to ThunderClan in "Firestar doesn't like waffles" Youtube video.**_

* * *

**lol. I find that quote hilarious. So review, and BYE!**

**-Sky**


	32. The Roots of the Four

**Hey guys...sorry for the lack of updating, BUT I LOST MY FILES ON THE COMPUTER. Then I had to go on my mom's account and start fresh -.- very inconvinient, but here it is!**

**Disclaimer: Rocky, you know what to do.**

**Rocky: *pulls a Ravenpaw* NO! I'm running away from your group and Tigerstar!**

**Sky: *raises an eyebrow* you don't want me to hurt Silver, do you?**

**Rocky: NOOOO! *runs back* Sky does not own Warriors! Happy? DON'T HURT SILVER! AU0EAUWEIOIAFJAWQPEO**

**Sky: O.O ...**

* * *

_The bleak moonlight shone upon _the Gathering island. Amberstorm let out a sigh of relief as she finally crossed the rotten tree-bridge. It was old, very old, and every time Amberstorm crossed it she felt as if it would break down, with her falling along.

With a _thump_, she landed on the soft, springy grass and scented the air. WindClan and ShadowClan had yet to arrive. Only RiverClan sat, their fishy scent touching the air with the smell of water.

"We left early, it seems," Thornclaw murmured beside her. Amberstorm stiffened. She still couldn't forgive her so-called _father _for making her halfClan. And...there! Mothwing sat beside Willowshine as they spoke to Seedflower. Amberstorm gritted her teeth. She wished that she didn't look so much like her parents. At least her tabby stripes were unique.

As Amberstorm watched, Seedflower and Willowshine seemed to move to more pressing matters, which Amberstorm was close enough to hear ("Oh, yes, we're running low on catmint, too. It was only the other day that Duckfeather caught whitecough. I hope it doesn't turn to greencough."), while Mothwing turned her head and locked eyes with the kit she had kitted and nursed. Her amber eyes~not unlike Amberstorm's~flickered over to her, then Thornclaw. A questioning look went into her gaze, and Thornclaw, very discreetly, nodded. A dark look flashed over Mothwing's face. _Don't tell any cat, _she seemed to warn.

Amberstorm glared back. _I can do anything I want! It's not my problem. I might even pull a Hollyleaf. _

Hollyleaf... Amberstorm wasn't sure _what _to think of the black she-cat. Other than the fact that she despised her, she couldn't see fit to forgive her, even after she had forgiven Leafpool. She gritted her teeth. _I will not spend my first night as a warrior thinking about forbidden relationships! _

Fortunately, WindClan arrived, which meant that Amberstorm could distract herself. Her eyes whisked over the skinny, lean pelts of mostly gray and brown. A certain brown she-cat caught her eye. _Heathertail. _The name flashed so quickly in her mind Amberstorm was startled. She remembered the training session with Halfpaw, Lionblaze and Dovewing. She recalled how Lionblaze had mentioned different battle tactics, such as the ones WindClan used, and Dovewing called out a few names ("Like, for example, have you ever seen, let's say, Harespring, Whitetail and Heathertail in battle?") and Lionblaze's gaze darkened at the mention of Heathertail. It was full of bitterness and hurt. Amberstorm remembered wondering what happened.

And, finally, ShadowClan arrived, and Amberstorm gasped. She heard Thornclaw beside her gape, and similar sounds echoed throughout the clearing.

Blackstar was not there.

In his place stood a high and mighty Ratscar, his eyes full of pride and ambition, not unlike Tigerstar's. He leaped onto the huge tree in the center and yowled, "Let the Gathering begin!" Silence ensued.

"I will begin," Ratscar stated. "Unfortunately, Blackstar had caught greencough and lost his last life. I am standing before you as Ratstar, leader of ShadowClan!" cheers followed, though Amberstorm didn't feel very optimistic. _You sprained my paw! _she thought resentfully.

"And," Ratstar continued, "We have one new warrior. Burnetpaw is now Burnetheart," he nodded in satisfaction. "ShadowClan is strong. Hopefully our..._neighbors _will not be as foolish to try to attack us." he shot a purposeful glare at Bramblestar, who returned it along with the cheers for Burnetheart as she sat smugly among the warriors.

"The new deputy is Starlingwing," Ratstar dipped his head, but not before shooting another glare at Bramblestar. "That is all ShadowClan has to report."

"Then I shall continue," Bramblestar declared. "ThunderClan has thrived and we have two new warriors: Amberstorm and Snowclaw."

"What?!" spluttered a cat in ShadowClan, whom Amberstorm realized was Snowbird. _No wonder, _she thought_, I killed her mate. _Snowbird stared accusingly at her. "She's a murderer! She doesn't deserve to be a warrior! She killed Crowfrost and Scorchfur!" hushed whispers flew around RiverClan and WindClan, and they quickly shrank away from her, much to Amberstorm's irritation.

"In my defense," Amberstorm retorted, "the Crowfrost incident was when I was kept captive at your Clan, which you shouldn't have done in the first place. And what happened with Scorchfur was that _he was about to murder our medicine cat._" she looked at Seedflower, who nodded in her Clanmate's defense, only because it was the truth. "What was I supposed to do, stand by and watch? Not to mention he was ready to kill Poppyfrost and I."

Berrynose looked outraged that such a thing almost happened to his mate, but he kept his tongue in check.

"Snowbird's right," scowled another cat. Marshpaw, his tortoiseshell fur glowing in the moonlight and revealing the ugly scar that Amberstorm gave him. "Look at my scar. _Look at it._" somewhere in RiverClan, an apprentice gasped. Marshpaw stared accusingly at Amberstorm. "_She _gave me that. When we were fighting."

"You were on my territory!" Even to herself, Amberstorm's defenses sounded weak.

"At least she didn't kill him," muttered another voice in ShadowClan. Amberstorm's ears burned.

"Anyway," Mistystar yowled from her place in the Great Oak, and Amberstorm felt a wash of gratefulness. "RiverClan, too, is going well. Our queen Mossyfoot has..." Amberstorm tuned out the report of how a queen had safely delivered her two healthy kits.

Finally, the leaders' reports were over, and Amberstorm was able to pad around, though she decided against it. There were cats who looked as if they would claw her ears off, truce or no truce.

Thankfully, Bramblestar leaped down from the Great Oak and yowled, "ThunderClan! We're leaving!"

A little bit later, they had arrived back at ThunderClan territory. Amberstorm separated from the group to walk around, where she found herself padding on the border with ShadowClan. She wrinkled her nose. She could see oak trees there; Evidence that ShadowClan had stolen their territory.

As she passed, a gorse bush~with it's branches heavily laden with snow~collapsed. Amberstorm snorted. Leafbare was going to kill not just cats, but the forest, too. Suddenly she froze, her eyes still on the gorse bush. The white fur would've been indistinguishable, if not for the black paws.

It was Blackstar.

Shock and curiosity blocked out Amberstorm's common sense, and she padded over the border, examining Blackstar. His amber eyes were glazed, and his pelt was matted. It was clear he was dead.

But why not give him a proper burial? The name _Ratstar _flashed though Amberstorm's head. Somehow, she knew, Ratstar had something to do with it. Then she noticed a clump of fur on Blackstar's neck. It seemed unnatural that it was there, probably because only that part was facing the wrong way. Suddenly, everything felt wrong. Didn't Ratstar say that Blackstar had died of greencough? ShadowClan had plenty of catmint, not to mention Mistwhisper, who had recently gotten her full name. And Amberstorm couldn't detect a whiff of sickness on Blackstar.

Her eyes flew to the clump of fur again. Slowly, but deliberately, she smoothed it back the right way, then froze.

A bite mark sat on Blackstar's neck.

It was deep~clearly the cause of his death. But Ratstar said _greencough_. Why did the ShadowClan leader need to lie? And then she froze. Of course! The bite mark wasn't unlike hers when she killed Crowfrost. It matched perfectly~the size of a cat's teeth. A thousand possibilities flew though Amberstorm's mind, then settled on the most outrageous one.

Did Ratstar kill Blackstar?

She clenched her teeth. Amberstorm was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the three figures stalking her until it was too late. She was face-to-face with Burnetheart, and when she whipped around, Marshpaw and Heavypaw sat. She was surrounded.

"Hello, _Amberstorm_." Burnetheart mewed curtly. "Care to explain why you're on _our _territory?"

* * *

Lionblaze sat, his spirit free from his shell, as Jayfeather and Halfpaw told him. He, plus the other five, sat in the underground grove, before who he realized were Thunder, River, Wind and Shadow, the founders of the four great Clans.

_So this is what the prophecy meant, _he thought, looking at then. _These cats are the roots of the four Clans. _

When he looked back, Silver, Rocky and his kits were in a slumber.

"What did you do to them?" Lionblaze mewed, sounding more hostile than intended.

Thankfully, only Shadow hissed resentfully. Wind answered, "We have done the same as we have done to you, only we have not extracted their spirits. They are not part of the Seven, and have no need to include them in this conversation." the four great leaders' pelts were incredibly faded~almost more than the Ancients.

Lionblaze felt himself nodding.

Jayfeather spoke up. "We followed the first prophecy from the orb."

River sighed wistfully. "Ah, yes, the Orb. The curious thing that changed our lives." he looked directly at Lionblaze and Jayfeather. "But you, you two are special. You bear the blood of not only Thunder, but Wind as well. That is why you both are part of the Three _and _the Seven."

"What about me?" Dovewing piped up.

Shadow looked at her, a growl rumbling in her throat. "You were the final piece necessary~the thing that held the two of them together. And you must _still _hold them together. That is why _you _are part of the Three and the Seven." Shadow continued on stiffly. "And because all six of you have led past lives with the Ancients. Your durability surpasses most cats. That is why you are able to wield the Orb, unlike _Eagleclaw_." Shadow spat the last word out bitterly and River gently laid his tail on her back.

"So, you're saying that we're strong enough to wield the power of the Orb?" Tigerheart asked excitedly. "That is _so cool_!"

Thunder chuckled softly, and Wind mewed to Cinderheart, "You have been quiet up to now. I know why. You fear for your kits. You are protective of them. But do not fear, I will take care of them."

"Why?" Cinderheart questioned.

Wind's eyes were gentle. "Because I, too, was a mother once. And those kits are my kin. You forget: Crowfeather is Lionblaze's father, as well as my descendant."

River rolled out a smooth round object. It had carvings on it, and and it whispered many things. Lionblaze caught a poem in his tongue.

_Amber wakes, from dark sleep._

_Joined in forces, to defeat anger._

_Turned, against her once-ally,_

_Lives she will take,_

_A heart she shall break, _

_Kits she shall make,_

_And joy sow her heart forevermore. _

Shrugging, he quickly dismissed it.

"Take it," Shadow suddenly mewed.

Lionblaze hesitantly reached out a paw, and placed it on the Orb. Almost immediately he felt a shudder travel though his body, and he could feel the power coming off of the Orb in waves. Suddenly, he noticed something.

"A chunk's missing!" he mewed aloud.

Thunder's eyes were dark. "Yes," he murmured. "I believe one of my kin, Tigerstar, has taken it for himself."

"_What?" _Tigerheart barked out, his eyes round.

Wind nodded sadly. "He specifically took the part that was able to restore spirits. But, it needs an energy source."

Lionblaze's mind was whirring. "That's how he came back! With all the other Dark Forest warriors! And that's why StarClan is fading! Tigerstar's using them as his energy source!"

River sighed. "Most troublesome." he continued, "So, quickly, go back to your Clan and tell them of the threat."

Lionblaze sighed, then dipped his head. "How shall I carry it?"

"Using the Twoleg pelt," Shadow answered swiftly, flicking her tail. "Now, go."

And then Lionblaze returned to his shell and woke up, his paws still clutching the Orb.

* * *

**"Most troublesome" lol! Who here watches Naruto and LOOOOVEESSS Shikamaru's quote? I DO! *pulls a Rocky* PAOITPAEFKLEJPATI JTOAETAEPO **

* * *

**Quote: **

_**Tigerstar: "No, no, don't poke the shiny rock..." **_

_**Fireheart: Pokes the Moonstone and gets 8up.**_

_**Tigerstar: "Aw, darn it. Now I have to kill you eight more times."**_

_**-Tigerstar, in "Firestar Gets His Nine Lives" Youtube video. **_

* * *

**Ahahaha, I'm getting obsessed with these ^^ and don't forget to review!**

**-Sky**


	33. Ratstar's Secret

**Okay, guys, I'm in a HUGE rush so I'm just going to do the disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. Gotta go, gotta go!**

* * *

_The next few days were _encouraging to the group. After all: they had fulfilled the prophecy, not to mention they would return to ThunderClan.

"What bothers me, though," Tigerheart mewed abruptly during one of their conversations. "Is why we had to travel so far. I mean, why couldn't we have just gotten the Orb back at the lake?"

"Probably because their connections aren't that strong there," Halfpaw replied absentmindedly. "After all, they started out in the old forest." They had explained what had happened to Silver and Rocky. Rocky had accepted it immediately because he had been taught about StarClan by his father, while Silver seemed a little more skeptical. Cinderheart shrugged. She would get over it.

But what really bothered her was the fact that Leafkit seemed weaker than her littermates. She never played with Sootkit or Morningkit, and every time Cinderheart nudged her, she would give a hacking cough before squirming to latch on her belly for more suckling.

Today, when Cinderheart nudged her brown tabby kit, she twitched, then fell in a violent coughing fit. Then she tumbled over and out of the Twoleg pelt and retched up thick fluids.

"Jayfeather!" Cinderheart cried. Jayfeather was over in an instant, while the other cats crowded together with curiosity.

"Get back!" Jayfeather snapped, then added, "Even you, Lionblaze." He bent over, and then ordered Silver and Tigerheart, "Go get catmint, and make it snappy."

Tigerheart looked offended at Jayfeather's choice of words, but when he opened his mouth~to fire a hot retort, no doubt~Jayfeather scowled. "_Hurry up! _Do you _want _this kit to die?"

Tigerheart clamped his jaws shut and scowled quietly. Then he whipped around and bounded off, with Silver scrambling after him.

While the pair were searching, Jayfeather gingerly pried open Leafkit's tiny jaws. He turned to Halfpaw and mewed, "Gently roll a tiny ball of moss and put it in her mouth to soak up the fluids. Then take the moss out."

A few moments later, with Dovewing and Rocky reaching up to scrape off the moss, Halfpaw carefully hooked one of the moss balls through her claw, and gingerly pressed it in Leafkit's mouth. After a few moments of waiting, she pulled it back out. The moss was dripping with a thick fluid, colored a revolting greenish-black. The drops fell from the moss and landed on a layer of thick, white-and-brown snow that blanketed the frozen ground.

Cinderheart shuddered. "Gross."

Jayfeather smacked Leafkit's back~rather roughly, to Cinderheart's dismay~and the tiny kit's body twitched again, and she puked up, again, thick greenish-black fluid. There was a pause, then Jayfeather sniffed the air. He reached over and snagged one of the nearby leaves with his claw. Cinderheart recognized it as yarrow.

Jayfeather meowed softly to the kit, "Does it hurt?" Cinderheart was surprised at the amount of gentleness in his voice.

Leafkit nodded weakly. "Very," she rasped.

Jayfeather pawed her the yarrow. "Eat this. It'll make you sick, but only to get the sick things out of your body."

Leafkit hesitated, then reluctantly sighed, "Okay." and she chewed up the herb, and wrinkled her nose. "This is so bitter!" she protested.

"Do you want to get better or not?" Jayfeather's tone was sharp.

Reluctantly, Leafkit gulped down the leaf. Almost immediately her throat convulsed and she barfed up a plethora of greenish-black liquids. She didn't stop there~she kept retching and retching, throwing out the thick fluid mixed with Cinderheart's milk. Finally, she collapsed with a sigh. "Is it all gone?" she whispered.

"Almost," Jayfeather admitted.

At that time, Tigerheart and Silver came back with catmint clamped firmly in their jaws. There were only a few leaves in all, but Jayfeather gratefully picked them and stuffed them in Leafkit's jaws, who energetically chomped them up. What she didn't know was that, while Jayfeather picked it up, he had also snuck poppy seeds in the leaves. Soon, Leafkit was out cold, snuggling near the curve of Cinderheart's belly.

"I don't think we should put Leafkit near the other kits~or any cat, for that matter."

"Why?" Cinderheart questioned. "Is it because Leafkit has greencough?"

Jayfeather shook his head. "No," he answered solemnly. "It's a new type of illness, apparently. I've never seen...er, _dealt _with it before."

"What is it?" Lionblaze asked anxiously.

Jayfeather looked directly at his brother, though he was blind and couldn't see him. "It's lethality is more severe than greencough, and I've named it blackcough."

* * *

"Well, Amberstorm?" Burnetheart taunted. "Does a cat have your tongue?"

Amberstorm stuck her tongue out at her just to prove her wrong.

Marshpaw chuckled softly. "I can't wait to give you a scar like mine."

"And then maybe we'll feed her to the foxes?" Heavypaw laughed.

Amberstorm spun around to face all of them. They were playing with her, she knew, and when they attacked... Well, Marshpaw and Heavypaw were already experienced apprentices~more than her, no doubt. And Burnetheart was a warrior. She could probably match her in strength. Even when Amberstorm trained in the Dark Forest, she was outnumbered.

Suddenly, Marshpaw halted, his nostrils flaring. His eyes flew wildly until they settled on the murdered body of Blackstar. "She knows.." he murmured.

Amberstorm couldn't keep the puzzlement out of her voice. "Knows what?"

By now Burnetheart and Heavypaw were also acting strangely. Amberstorm almost wished that they would return to their normal, menacing selves.

"Now that you've already found Blackstar's body, we might as well tell you." Heavypaw mewed.

"What? What happened to Blackstar? Why did Ratstar say he died of greencough?" the questions burbled out of Amberstorm before she could stop them.

Marshpaw took up the story. "Ratstar had always wanted to be deputy. Didn't you know? He was the one who got our former deputy, Tigerheart, exiled. Then he basically blackmailed Blackstar into making him deputy. Then he started the war between our two Clans. And Blackstar was really old~he was a warrior before _your _leader, Bramblestar, was a kit! And Littlecloud and Mistwhisper made the mistake of telling him that Blackstar was on his last life.

"I guess Ratstar was really ambitious, because after he and Blackstar went out to talk about the war raging, and when they returned, Ratstar was carrying Blackstar in his jaws and told them that they were ambushed by a ThunderClan patrol, and Blackstar lost his last life."

Amberstorm's eyes flew to Blackstar's body. His pelt was scruffed as well as dirty, which probably meant that Ratstar's story was believable.

"But ThunderClan never ambushed them!" she protested. "During the war, we've always been on the defensive side."

Burnetheart, Marshpaw and Heavypaw exchanged a dark glance.

"That confirms our suspicions." Heavypaw scowled darkly. "Ratstar really _did _kill Blackstar."

"But why is he doing this?" Amberstorm persisted.

Burnetheart answered weakly, "Erm...well, one night we saw him thrashing around in his bedding while he got fresh cuts. He kept viciously attacking something that we couldn't see. We think he's training in the Dark Forest."

Amberstorm inhaled so quickly she thought she was going to choke.

Marshpaw took that as a gasp of disgust and nodded. "Yep." his face scrunched up in disgust. "I hate the Dark Forest. When I was a kit, they attacked. My mother~Heavypaw's, too~was Pinenose, one of the queens. Our...our sister, Redkit, died during the attack."

Amberstorm tried not to spit in disgust and horror. Tigerstar was attacking defenseless _kits_?

"We need help," Heavypaw continued. "Most of our Clan is on Ratstar's side. After all, the warrior code says, 'you must obey your leader at all times' and, technically, Ratstar's our leader."

"So far," Burnetheart continued, "The ones we've got on our side are Stoatfur, all the elders, Littlecloud, Mistwhisper, Toadfoot, Owlclaw, Kinkfur, Shrewfoot and, of course, Pinenose."

"That's not a lot," Amberstorm commented quietly.

"No, it isn't," Heavypaw agreed. "Can _you _join us?"

"Yes!" the answer flew out of Amberstorm's mouth before she could stop it. _Me and my big, fat mouth, _she thought dully.

"Great!" Marshpaw exclaimed. "We'll meet here every half-moon, okay?"

"At night?" Tigerstar wouldn't be happy if Amberstorm missed any sessions of training. But, then again, she was a _warrior _in there, with the name Ambershade. The only thing that she should need to do is 'train' the apprentices.

Burnetheart blinked. "Is there a problem with nighttime?" she questioned.

"No! Not at all," Amberstorm mewed hastily. "Okay, I'd better be going to my Clan. They'll be wondering where I am." and with that, she turned tail and dashed away to her own territory.

Once back on ThunderClan territory, she heaved a sigh of relief. She didn't know what she had gotten herself into, and she didn't want to know. She suddenly spotted a scrawny mouse. Instinctively dropping into a hunting crouch, she then pounced and easily killed the mouse. _At least now I can use hunting as an excuse. _

Taking a deep breath, she padded into the clearing. No one peppered her with questions. They just took one look at the mouse and shrugged. The remains of the deer carcass still sat on the fresh-kill pile. Amberstorm deposited her mouse on the pile and started searching for Snowclaw.

She sniffed the air just as Snowclaw tumbled out of the nursery, his eyes alight with amusement as he played with Whitekit. Whitekit was bigger than Amberstorm had last seen her, but, then again, Whitekit was already four moons. Her apprentice ceremony was close. And Snowclaw was ten. Amberstorm gulped. _Only a six moon difference... _Her eyes flew to Sorreltail and Brackenfur, and she had a sinking feeling.

Suddenly, hot anger bubbled up in her, directed at the ginger she-kit with four white paws. _Back off! Snowclaw's _mine_! _

"Whitekit! Lightningkit! Featherkit!" Amberstorm heard Squirrelflight call. "It's time to sleep!"

"Okay!" Whitekit and her siblings chorused. Then Whitekit turned to Snowclaw. "Bye, Snowclaw!" she mewed cheerily, then bounded into the nursery.

"Bye!" Snowclaw called, then turned to see Amberstorm watching him, and a guilty look appeared on his face.

"What are you doing with _her_?" Amberstorm hissed resentfully.

"We're friends," Snowclaw retorted defensively.

Amberstorm glared at him. "Oh, really? It seems like a lot more than that."

Snowclaw matched her glare. "Hey, I can have she-cats as friends too. Like you're friends with Spiderleg."

"Spiderleg's not my friend." Amberstorm mewed hotly. "And he has a _mate_."

Snowclaw snarled, "Well, Whitekit's _nice_, and I'm not going to destroy our friendship just because you're angry!"

"Fine!" Amberstorm spat, her fur rising.

"Fine," Snowclaw flashed back.

Amber eyes glared at each other for a moment, then the two whipped around and stalked away in different directions.

Amberstorm looked at Rosepetal, who had witnessed the entire thing. Slowly and very discreetly, she shook her head.

_Bad move, _she mouthed.

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**Fight! Bum, bum, bum...and I have a new poll on my profile! Go check it out and VOTE! I'm in such a rush that I can't do the quote. Sorry, guys!**

**-Sky**


	34. Blazingdawn

**Great StarClan...this chap's HORRIBLE...but hope you enjoy it! P.S I have a few forums I'd like you to check out: **

**HiddenClan (add in front of FF link): forum/HiddenClan/125023/**

**The Tribe of Tribey Tribeyness (add in front of FF link): forum/The-Tribe-of-Tribey-Tribeyness/129948/**

**Disclaimer: Ummm...WHITEKIT! GET YOUR STUPID UGLY BUTT OVER HERE! **

**Whitekit: *grumpily* _What? _And I'm not ugly! Squirrelflight tells me I'm really pretty!**

**Sky: *rolls eyes* just do the disclaimer.**

**Whitekit: *sighs* fineeee. Sky does not own Warriors! That right goes to Erin Hunter.**

**Sky: Good kitty ^^**

* * *

_Amberstorm woke up to a _blazing dawn. Her nest in the warriors' den was still newly made~the moss still tender and springy. The day before, she had slept in because of her warrior's vigil with Snowclaw. She remembered how they stood stiffly apart from each other, hostility sparking throughout them the entire night. How relieved she had been when it was finally dawn, and Brackenfur told them that they could go to their nests! At the time, Amberstorm had groggily scraped together scraps of moss, tiredness edging her vision, blurring it. The moment she had hit the moss, she had fallen asleep.

She stood up and shook stray scraps of moss still clinging to her pelt and stretched. She quietly admired the dawn. _A blazing dawn... _She froze. Why did that name sound so familiar? A blazing dawn...blazing dawn... Suddenly, cream-colored fur sparked in her mind. Who...? Berrynose? Daisy? But they didn't relate to a 'blazing dawn'.

Beside her, Snowclaw sat up. Amberstorm noticed painfully that he was stiff as a tree beside her while hostility radiated from his pelt in waves. He turned to Brightheart, who was beside him, and mewed, "I hope ShadowClan doesn't cause more trouble, now that Blackstar is dead. I hear Dawnpelt's kits are five moons. They'll be apprentices soon: More rivals."

_Dawnpelt! _That was who Amberstorm was thinking of! But why would she think of the mad ShadowClan queen? Questions plagued her mind, but a rallying yell interrupted them.

"ShadowClan! Attack!"

Brightheart let out a cry of surprise, just as the rest of the warriors groggily shook their heads, wondering what the noise was. Snowclaw and Amberstorm scrambled to their paws and scrabbled outside, snow and golden-brown pelts merging together while identical amber eyes studied their enemies.

Unfortunately, Amberstorm couldn't see a single cat in the patrol that was a part of Burnetheart, Marshpaw and Heavypaw's group. Not even Stoatfur or Toadfoot. Suddenly, three new figures appeared within her gaze. They were small to be apprentices, and they looked a lot like some cat Amberstorm couldn't remember...

"Flowerpaw! Pinepaw! Flamepaw!" barked Starlingwing, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Get the nursery. That will prove your worth."

Amberstorm's eyes widened. Those were Dawnpelt's _kits_? (So _that's_ why she was thinking of her!) But they weren't even six moons! She debated whether she should go attack them or not. But Snowclaw didn't seem to have such qualms. With a cry of, "Whitekit!" he easily pinned down all three apprentices firmly, ignoring their yelps and thrashes.

"Snowclaw!" Amberstorm yowled. If it was one thing she wouldn't stand for, it was attacking kits, which was just plain _cowardly_. She wrestled him off with difficulty due to Snowclaw's larger size, and when they tumbled off of the young kit-apprentices she had to hold him back so he wouldn't charge at them.

"What do you think you're doing?" Snowclaw hissed at her, his eyes filled with desperation and fury.

"What do you think _you're _doing?" Amberstorm shot back. "Those are five-moon old _kits_ you're attacking?"

"Who cares?" Snowclaw spat. "They're about to attack our _four _and _three_ moon old kits! Not to mention Daisy and the queens!"

"Squirrelflight and Icecloud are perfectly able to fight off a few kits," Amberstorm returned.

"While defending the kits? And what about Briarlight?" Snowclaw narrowed his eyes. "Maybe Bramblestar shouldn't have called you _loyal _during your warrior ceremony."

Amberstorm was appalled that Snowclaw would even _suggest_ what he had just accused. Was he calling her _disloyal_, and to _ShadowClan _to say the very least? Amberstorm suddenly felt the urge to rip his legs off, one by one, and feed them to the foxes.

"Don't you even dare!" she spat, her fur rising. "Fine. Go and kill some few innocent kits that aren't even responsible for their leader's actions. Go on," she shoved him roughly. "I give up." she was glad to have learned this tactic from Spiderleg, because the fire from Snowclaw's eyes faded.

"But...but..._Whitekit_," he hoarsely whispered the name so fondly that Amberstorm felt a pang, remembering all the times he mewed her name like that. Not anymore. She looked at his shining amber eyes, so full of an expression Amberstorm once thought was only reserved for _her_.

"Fine," Amberstorm growled softly, "But be gentle."

Snowclaw gave her a grateful look and bounded over to the nursery, where he easily batted away the three kit-apprentices with a sheathed paw.

Sighing with resignation, Amberstorm leaped on the first ShadowClan cat she saw.

Err...bad move. Because guess, just _guess_, who she landed on?

That's right. Ratstar.

Snarling with fury, the ShadowClan leader whipped around to face her, then curled his lip, taunting her. "Back so soon? One would almost think that you like getting your paw broken."

"Wow, you actually _thought_?" Amberstorm started widening her eyes in mock amazement. "Impressive."

Ratstar glared at her. "Are you calling me stupid~" he was abruptly cut off when Amberstorm pounced on him, praying over and over to Tigerstar and StarClan that she would win.

Almost immediately Ratstar flipped her over with his superior size and embedded his claws deep in her skin. Amberstorm gritted her teeth, trying not to howl. She kicked him with her powerful hind legs, raking off clumps of fur and spilling blood, that fell in her fur. _Yuck! _she thought, wrinkling her nose. _What a fun grooming _that _will be._

Ratstar's eyes widened and he loosened his grip, to which Amberstorm pushed him off of her and returned to her paws. But the ShadowClan leader was skilled at fighting, and he, too, landed on his paws. Not a heartbeat passed before he charged, and Amberstorm dodged to the side at the last moment, Ratstar's claws slicing precariously close to her skin. It ripped off a tuft of fur, though. _Oh, well. It'll grow back... Eventually._

Amberstorm reared on her hind legs and landed a powerful blow to his muzzle. For a heartbeat, Ratstar looked dazed, and Amberstorm rapidly dropped to four paws and rammed into him with her head.

Ratstar let out a yelp~whether it was surprise or pain, Amberstorm didn't know. But she did know that he recovered quickly, because in the next moment she was reeling from a blow to her left shoulder. She staggered and momentarily lost balance, to which Ratstar dove under her, and Amberstorm shrieked at the belly wounds that he quickly inflicted.

The slashes on her belly were deep, and Amberstorm's vision went dark. When she opened them, she was on the ground. She barely had time to yelp before Ratstar pounced on her forcefully. Amberstorm choked and watched as blood flew out of her mouth. Searing pain laced through her body, so intense that for a moment Amberstorm didn't realize she couldn't breathe, but quickly found out as she tried to take a ragged gasp.

"Yes, this is revenge for taking Crowfrost and Scorchfur away from us," Ratstar sneered. "I hope you enjoy a long, painful death on your journey to StarClan."

Amberstorm weakly noted that Ratstar didn't say _Dark Forest_, which only confirmed the suspicions that he had returned to the Dark Forest.

Amberstorm felt unconsciousness lap at her vision, and felt herself go limp. _Maybe I've survived greencough, _she thought, _but not this._

Suddenly, Ratstar's maw opened, and Amberstorm faintly wondered why. Then, her vision went black, but only for a moment, because the next thing she knew, she was on her side, breathing heavily, and Ratstar was nowhere to be seen.

Er, _almost_.

When Amberstorm's vision cleared, she turned and blinked out the morning sunlight streaming into her eyes. Dawn was over, but the sun was still there, and Snowclaw was there. He stood in front of her, glaring at Ratstar with such a large force of hate.

"You do _not_," he snarled, "lay a single claw on her."

_Too late, _Amberstorm thought ruefully, but secretly she was puzzled, but grateful.

Ratstar mimicked Snowclaw's snarl, but somehow managed to make it sound weak and pitiful. Then he lunged.

Amberstorm attempted to stagger to her paws, but pain shot though her chest when she tried so, and she unintentionally swayed on her paws, almost falling again. Luckily, Snowclaw had managed to swipe Ratstar on the muzzle before diving to help her. His snow-white fur pressed against Amberstorm's golden-brown pelt, and his familiar and comforting scent wafted around her. "Steady," he murmured gently.

Amberstorm blinked at him gratefully. "Thanks," she half-mumbled half-choked.

"No problem," Snowclaw muttered in her ear, his muscles tensed as Ratstar regained his bearings. "Whatever you think, I still love you."

Amberstorm blearily watched as he pounced at the same moment as Ratstar did. The two toms crashed into each other, and Ratstar writhed himself so that he landed on Snowclaw.

_Maybe you still love me, _she thought, _but you love Whitekit more._

* * *

Her eyes were unfocused. Searing pain went through her body. She limped, howling every few moments because of her lame leg. "Mercy! Star!" she howled. Her head throbbed. Who was she? Only a small strip of her past swarmed in her mind. It throbbed painfully, but she wasn't able to extract it.

She gasped as pain wracked her stomach. Her skinny body~so deprived of any prey~twitched and wriggled. Why was she alive? _How _was she alive? She was dying, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Mercy," she whimpered again. "Mercy. Mercy. Mercy." she rested her head on the rocky surface. She would sleep. Yes, that was it. She would sleep, and dream of food, without her crippled leg, her body nice and plump. Oh, with loving friends and family~though she had none.

She curled up. _Best leave this reality, if only for a few moments_. She longed to have some company.

Because she was a desperate and dying cat~near mad.,She remembered nothing of her past. Not a single bit. But she did remember ginger fur. Yes! That was the small part of her past she was looking for!

Feeling warmed by this, the near-mad she-cat pulled herself to her paws. "Food, food," she whispered. She needed food. Or else she would die.

She somehow knew she was close to death, several times, but she wasn't fond of those moment.

And her throat~oh! Her throat!~it was throughly parched and burning. Her eyes flew around her surroundings, but saw no trickle of water. "Give me water, Star," she whispered, wincing as her voice cracked from thirst. "Water, Star," Star was another thing from her past~again, one of the _only _things she remembered from the past. "Star. Water, please."

It wasn't until she had stopped begging for water that she realized the horrible truth.

_I am going to die._

* * *

Dovewing walked among the faded pelts of StarClan. She looked sadly through them. The cats were so faded at this point, that they were barely visible. _Why can't I do anything about this? I hold the power of the stars in my paws, but that might not be enough. _She recoiled for a moment. _Where did that negative thought come from? _Suddenly, she found herself in the Dark Forest.

"Why, that was me, sweetie." purred a voice beside her.

Dovewing was startled so much that she almost jumped out of her fur. She whipped around and met the startling violet eyes of a pretty fire-colored she-cat.

"Um, hello," Dovewing mewed uneasily. She had never seen a cat with violet eyes, nor this certain she-cat in the Dark Forest, which made her overcautious.

The dark ginger she-cat seemed to read her thoughts, then laughed, but her violet eyes brimmed with malice. "Oh, every cat that I see seems to think that, huh?" her eyes hardened, and she studied Dovewing. "I've heard that you were one of the cats that almost destroyed my home." she clucked her tongue, almost disapprovingly. "That wasn't very nice."

Dovewing ducked her head, suddenly ashamed. "Sorry," she mumbled, until she realized that she was speaking to a Dark Forest cat, and straightened up. "What do you want with me?" she asked, sounding more hostile than she intended.

The violet-eyed ginger she-cat sighed. "So rude. I'll have to teach you some manners." before Dovewing could react, she was on the ground, with three claw marks stretching across her flank.

"That...that wasn't very nice either," she mewed weakly.

The she-cat laughed. "Discipline is very polite, actually." she looked at her with her intense violet eyes. "Now, let's start with introductions, shall we? My name is Blazingdawn. I was formerly of ThunderClan."

"Dovewing, currently of ThunderClan." Dovewing's voice was faint.

Blazingdawn's eyes gleamed. "Oh, really? We share...Clans." her tone became brisk and clipped. "But we are in no way alike. And I want you to remember it. I belong in this beautiful forest, whilst you rot in the lake."

_Beautiful forest, my butt, _Dovewing thought.

Blazingdawn scowled, then delivered a painful blow that sent Dovewing reeling. "So rude," she chided. "Anyway, you know yourself that your stupid weakling powers will never conquer the Dark Forest, so quit trying." her eyes narrowed. "Run around me a hundred times chanting, 'I will never conquer the Dark Forest'."

"Why~" Dovewing began, but was quickly interrupted.

"_Now!" _Blazingdawn barked.

By the time Dovewing was finished, she was discouraged and tired. Blazingdawn looked at her with contempt, before shouting out another order. "Go climb that tree and chant the same thing!" As Dovewing struggled to move her paws, she purred, "Oh, very nice. You can be my personal toy."

It wasn't until the night was over that Dovewing realized that she wasn't optimistic anymore~she was broken down.

And that was exactly what the Dark Forest wanted.

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**Told you. Sucks. Don't forget to check out the forums or Sky won't be happy! (Nor will Amberstorm, and you don't want HER on your bad side) and (also) don't forget to check out the poll on my profile page!**

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**Quote: **

_**"You've got a tongue, haven't you? Lick, you useless lump of fur! Do you want the kit to die?" **_

_**-Cinderpaw, to Tigerclaw during Silverstream's kitting in "Forest of Secrets"**_

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**Aha, I always loved that part of the book. *mimicks Cinderpelt* "Lick, you useless lump of fur!" lolz. And don't forget to review!**

**-Sky**


	35. Caught

**Yay, my second-longest chap, consisting of seven pages! *does happy dance* and c'mon, guys! Review more! We're aiming for 400 now!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Warriors, Ashfur would rot in the Dark Forest (no offense to Ashfur supporters)**

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"_Worthless. Stupid. Freak. _Not normal," Blazingdawn hissed.

Dovewing stepped back, her ears flattened. She didn't want her special senses now~she just heard herself whimpering with them.

Blazingdawn flicked her tail. "I suppose you've had enough?"

Dovewing almost leaped at the opportunity. "Yes! Please!" she was kicked away with a stinging blow.

"Yes, please _master_," Blazingdawn scowled. "Don't let me correct you again."

Dovewing nodded meekly, then was dealt a slash across the flank.

"You idiot!" Blazingdawn shrieked. "I just tell you, and you don't respond? Now, what was that?" under her breath, just loud enough for Dovewing to hear, she muttered, "Horrible manners."

Dovewing would've rolled her eyes if it weren't _Blazingdawn _who was there. Blazingdawn held an air of superiority around her... Something that told Dovewing she was not to be messed with.

"I am taking you to my sister," Blazingdawn mewed haughtily. "I trust that you shall maintain your poor manners?"

"Yes, master," Dovewing mumbled, too tired to even fight back.

Blazingdawn, who seemed satisfied by this answer, turned around and flicked her tail. "Move it!" she hissed. "Dawn is coming, and my sister doesn't like being kept waiting." The flame-colored she-cat continued at a brisk pace. "Hurry, snail-for-paws!"

Dovewing trudged forward. The ground was littered and reeked of death. She wondered how Blazingdawn could stand such stench.

Finally, Blazingdawn stopped in front of a den in a dead honeysuckle bush with twigs draped around it. "Butterflyfang!" she called, "I've brought the she-cat."

There was a barely audible grunt, then shuffling, then finally a pretty tortoiseshell with the same intense, violet eyes emerged. She ducked her head hastily and slightly formally.

Blazingdawn clucked her tongue. "What did I tell you about manners?"

Her sister glared at her. "What did I tell you about shutting up?" she rolled her eyes. "Your obsession with formalities is annoying and boring me."

"Deal with it," Blazingdawn rebuked, before she turned to Dovewing. The gray she-cat had her ears flattened and her bright green eyes filled with fear. "Dovey, this is Butterflyfang, my sister."

Butterflyfang, still bedraggled and sleepy, yawned and mumbled a 'pleasdameatcha' through it. Dovewing would've found it funny if not for the fact that she was related to Blazingdawn. Her long, curved claws were longer than any Dovewing had seen, and she winced just thinking about getting attacked.

Dovewing let out a yelp as she was roughly cuffed over her ears with unsheathed claws. The tips of them drew the tiniest amount of blood out.

"Now, Dovey, I think I've taught you better," Blazingdawn lightly scolded, as if she were no more than a kit, pouncing on tails, while Blazingdawn was just a caring mother. Dovewing almost snorted. The truth was much more different.

Dovewing hastily bowed her head. "Pleased to meet you, too. My name is Dovewing."

"So I heard," Dovewing mewed dryly.

Blazingdawn curled her lip. "Dovey, I need to show you something." slyness had worked it's way into her tone, and Dovewing was immediately suspicious.

"Yes?" she mewed, still keeping up the polite act~she did not want to get clawed.

Without warning, Blazingdawn pounced on her, lightning-fast, and clawed her viciously across the flank. Dovewing yelped and her vision momentarily blurred, before stumbling into a standing position, pain edging her body.

But what really disturbed her was Butterflyfang. Butterflyfang eyed the blood greedily and let out an insane giggle, as if she was excited, and pushed her over. Her tongue lapped at the blood, before growling and slashing her more. Dovewing shrieked in pain and struggled, but Butterflyfang was, by far, stronger. Slash by slash she tore, and the more blood she drew. The more blood she drew, the more blood she drank. Blazingdawn watched this with glee, as if she had been planning it all along.

Reflecting on it, she probably _had_.

Finally, Dovewing managed to tear free of Butterflyfang's grip and pelted somewhere~anywhere, really~in the distance. Her deep wounds stung and it hurt even more with the dead bramble and thorn thickets scratching her along the way.

She found a secluded scraggly bush with a few leaves still clinging to it's almost-bare branches and curled up there, squeezing her eyes shut, her wounds still stinging and bleeding.

_StarClan, oh, StarClan, help me!_

* * *

"Lightningkit, from now on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Lightningpaw." Bramblestar mewed.

Lightningpaw bounced, and the young tom looked thrilled to have finally become an apprentice.

"Toadstep," Bramblestar continued, "You have proven to be a skilled and speedy warrior. I trust you will pass on all that you know to young Lightningpaw."

The black-and-white tom stepped out from the horde of cats and whisked his new apprentice away. Looking at them, Amberstorm wasn't sure which cat was the more enthusiastic.

Bramblestar turned to the second kit.

"Featherkit, from now on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Featherpaw."

The light gray she-cat was so excited she mewed her new name aloud. "Featherpaw!" purrs erupted from the crowd, and Featherpaw ducked her head, embarrassed.

Bramblestar, too, was stifling a purr, but nevertheless continued. "Your mentor will be Blossomfall."

Murmurs of surprise rippled among the cats, but no one protested as the tortoiseshell she-cat proudly stepped forward to greet her new apprentice.

"Blossomfall, you are a warrior with excellent battle training, and exceptional loyalty. I trust that you will pass on all that you know to Featherpaw."

Amberstorm gritted her teeth. Here came the most annoying one.

"Whitekit, from now on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Whitepaw. Your mentor will be Bumblestripe."

Inwardly, Amberstorm heaved a sigh of relief, whereas Snowclaw, on the other paw, looked disappointed. _Honestly! You would think that all he does is moon over her! _She glared at the dark ginger she-cat with four white paws, her amber eyes sparkling, her bushy tail held high. _But she _is _pretty... _

The cats dissolved to do other things, while Bumblestripe and Blossomfall led their apprentices out. Toadstep, however, lingered. "I'll be right back," he promised Lightningpaw, who was practically jumping with excitement and anticipation.

Amberstorm watched as Toadstep went into the nursery (with Lightningpaw trailing reluctantly behind him) and emerged with Briarlight. He led her to Seedflower's den, Briarlight's belly bouncing all the time. Amberstorm quietly creeped over to the medicine cat's den.

"~arlight's expecting my kits," Toadstep was mewing proudly.

Seedflower purred. "Congratulations," then her voice took a more serious tone. "But she can't feel anything below the broken part of her spine~it will be dangerous for her to kit, I can assure you that."

"Way to ruin the mood," Toadstep muttered, and Briarlight laughed.

"Don't worry, Toadstep," she assured her mate, "I'll manage somehow."

As they exited, Amberstorm hastily scrambled over to the nursery, hoping that it didn't look like she was eavesdropping on them. The nursery was almost empty with the exception of two queens. _Three, _Amberstorm reminded herself.

Lightningpaw was talking to Windkit while Petalkit was nowhere to be seen. Then again, she had seen Petalkit outside, under the warriors' den, catching stray tails and getting yelled at by Cloudtail.

"You'll become an apprentice soon," Lightningpaw promised Windkit. "You're five moons already."

Windkit twitched her ear miserably. "But it's so lonely in here! There isn't any cat to play with other than Icecloud and Petalkit!"

"Daisy's kitting soon," Lightningpaw reminded her.

"But I won't be able to play with them for a _whole moon_! And by then I'll be an apprentice!" Windkit sighed. "Sorry I'm being such a grouchy-tail~"

_Like Spiderleg! _Amberstorm thought.

"~but I'm going to be really bored."

Lightningkit nuzzled her fondly. "I promise I'll play with you any time I can," he licked her ear before waving his tail goodbye as Toadstep called him. "Bye, now!"

"Bye," Windkit mumbled miserably.

As Amberstorm exited the nursery, she was roughly bumped/shoved by Dewpaw, who had a smug look on his face. "What're you doing in there? You and Snowclaw having kits _already_?"

Amberstorm felt her face grow hot. "No!" she protested. "I was just...just...visiting Icecloud's kits!"

Dewpaw rolled his eyes haughtily. "What_ever_. Ijust passed my warrior assessment, so let's see who's so good _now_," he spat at her before walking away.

Amberstorm sighed and closed her eyes. She suddenly remembered the night before, meeting with the ShadowClan cats.

"_Burnetheart?" Amberstorm padded cautiously into the clearing, feeling very exposed. "Marshpaw? Heavypaw?" _

"_Here," Marshpaw called from a bush near the border, his bright blue eyes stark in contrast with the night. The moon was young, only a tiny claw in the sky. "And it's Marsh_lake _now." _

"_And Heavypelt," Heavypaw~er, _pelt_, added. _

"_Wow," Amberstorm couldn't help but blurt out. "I'm surprised Ratstar named you Marshlake instead of Marshscar." she purred sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that." _

"_No problem," Marshlake replied breezily. "I think it makes me look like a fearsome warrior!" _

"_Actually, it makes you look like a weakling that lost a life," Burnetheart muttered, and they all burst into giggles, with the exception of Marshlake, who huffed playfully._

"_You're only saying that because you _have none_!" he shot back. _

_Heavypelt's jaws parted in a silent laugh as it was Burnetheart's turn to be indignant. _

"_Hey!" she yowled, pouncing on him. Marshlake struggled for a moment, then flipped her over with his superior size and rolled off her, laughing. As Burnetheart got up, she was disoriented and instead jumped on Heavypelt._

"_What the~" Heavypelt began, before he was knocked over. Pretty soon, all four of them were pouncing on each other, purring and laughing. _

"_Ooomph!" Amberstorm exclaimed as Marshlake landed heavily on her. Marshlake laughed and helped her up._

"_Thanks," she mewed gratefully, licking his ear. Then she stopped in mid-lick. What was she thinking? This was a _ShadowClan _cat! Then a small voice at the back of her head mewed, "So what? He's your ally." Amberstorm inwardly shrugged and continued grooming the scraps of dirt and dead leaves off of Marshlake's pelt. Once she was finished, his tortoiseshell fur was gleaming like a thousand stars. _

"_Well, then," Marshlake laughed. He licked her head, smoothing down the fur. Burnetheart and Heavypelt were too locked in their 'combat' to notice. _

_Amberstorm buried her muzzle in his fur, rejoicing in the warmth. When was the last time she did that with Snowclaw? Certainly not recently. And, to her surprise, Marshlake didn't flinch away like she'd expected him to. Instead, he snuggled up beside her, warming her up even more. _

"_You were shivering," he murmured to her, his breath hot in her ear. _

_Amberstorm was surprised that she didn't notice how rabidly she was trembling. She shot Marshlake a grateful glance before curling up closer, placing her head on her paws, and letting her eyelids droop. _

_She woke up later, still beside Marshlake. Burnetheart and Heavypelt were also fast asleep. They both looked like they had fallen from exhaustion. She checked the sky, then quietly choked. It was almost dawn! In a panic, she shook Marshlake awake. _

"_Wha~?" Marshlake murmured, his eyes barely open. _

"_Wake up!" Amberstorm hissed in a panic. "It's almost dawn! We need to leave!" _

_Marshlake was immediately awake. "Okay," he mewed, nodding. "I'll wake Heavypelt and Burnetheart. You can go back." _

_But when Amberstorm turned to leave, she glanced back to see Marshlake looking at her with a certain fondness shining in his eyes. _

"Amberstorm?"

Amberstorm opened her eyes to see Snowclaw standing in front of her, shyness thick in the air.

"Yes?" she asked, sounding icier than she had intended, and she winced.

Snowclaw shuffled his paws. "Well...I was wondering if you'd like to go hunting with me?"

Amberstorm's jaws almost fell open, until she realized that Snowclaw was only asking her because _Whitepaw_ wasn't there. With a quiet sigh, she mewed, "Sure."

A few moments later, the two young warriors found themselves walking through the dense ThunderClan forest, their ears pricked and alert for any prey. Without warning, Snowclaw leaped in the air, hooking his claws into the wings of an unsuspecting robin. The red-chested bird barely had time to let out a warning call before Snowclaw dealt it a bite to the neck.

"Nice," Amberstorm muttered. She suddenly stopped at the sound of scrabbling, and fell into a crouch, immediately pinpointing a scrawny shrew nibbling at some green shoots poking out from under the now-thinner layer of white powder.

When she was close enough, Amberstorm pushed off of her legs and killed the shrew in one quick bite, slitting it's throat. With a satisfied nod, the two made their way back to the camp. It was still leafbare, and those two tiny pieces of prey were probably all that were there.

When they entered, they found out that Dewpaw's warrior ceremony had already started.

"~o you, Dewpaw, promise to uphold the warrior code and defend the Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Bramblestar questioned.

Dewpaw's mew was confident and a little arrogant. "I do."

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Dewpaw, from now on you will be known as Dewshade. StarClan honors your cleverness and hunting skills."

"Dewshade! Dewshade! Dewshade!" the Clan cheered while Bramblestar rested his muzzle on Dewshade's head and Dewshade, in turn, licked his shoulder respectively.

Amberstorm glanced at the sky, and was startled to see that it was almost nighttime. _I'm meeting them tonight! _she thought.

As the rest of the cats settled in for the night, Amberstorm snuck out of camp, making her way to the place where she had met them the last time.

Maybe the fact that two blue eyes were glowing near the bushes helped her...just a little bit.

"Marshlake?" Amberstorm questioned. "Where are Burnetheart and Heavypelt?"

"Some mission to recruit rogues," Marshlake muttered darkly, before brightening. "But you made it!"

"You sound surprised," Amberstorm remarked dryly, a purr already rumbling in her throat. Why did she always feel fluttery now when she saw the tortoiseshell tom...?

Marshlake laughed. "I have every reason to," he teased her. "Didja have a nice sleep last night?"

Amberstorm felt hot embarrassment flushing over her. "Maybe," she admitted quietly.

Marshlake's bright blue eyes scanned her face for a trace of sarcasm, and seemed satisfied when he didn't.

"Hey, do you know about Dovewing and Tigerheart?" Marshlake suddenly asked.

Amberstorm blinked, recognizing the names of her former mentor and former ShadowClan deputy, but she didn't know what he was talking about.

"No," she mewed cautiously.

Marshlake shrugged. "Well, apparently, Tigerheart~who used to be Heavypelt's mentor, by the way~was exiled because he was meeting Dovewing during the night, and when Blackstar confronted him about it, he confessed that he loved her." Marshlake shrugged. "They left pretty quickly after that."

"I should think so," Amberstorm laughed.

Marshlake leaned forward and licked her ear. Suddenly, Amberstorm knew why he had brought up the story of Dovewing and Tigerheart. The question that was still waiting to be uttered hung in the air.

_Would you do that for me? _

"Yes," Amberstorm unconsciously breathed, loud enough for Marshlake to hear. He looked at her, surprise lingering on his features before they dissolved into something gentler. The scar that Amberstorm had given him still sat there, but new fur grew around it.

"You would?" Marshlake asked.

Amberstorm curled her lip. _Maybe it's time to let Snowclaw go. _"Maybe," she admitted, blinking, suddenly shy.

Marshlake buried his muzzle in her fur. His mew was muffled, but Amberstorm still heard it.

"When you first gave me that scar, I hated you. But after a while, I couldn't stop thinking of you. Not even at the Gatherings, where I would scour the entire island, looking for you. And then you showed up on our territory, standing over Blackstar's body." Marshlake curled his lip slyly. "You're really pretty. You know that, right?"

Amberstorm was too surprised~and shocked~to say anything.

"Over and over you plagued my thoughts. Over and over I looked for you." his blue eyes crinkled. "I had a lot of fun last night."

_And finally a good night's sleep, _Amberstorm thought, though it was possible it was only her.

"Who didn't?" she found herself answering, and she was briefly surprised that she could even _find _her vocal cords.

"True," Marshlake's mew had a teasing tone to it. "But I'm pretty sure I had the most, because I was playing and laughing along with the cat of my dreams."

Marshlake took a deep breath.

"Amberstorm, I...I think I'm in love with you."

"Amberstorm?"

Startled (and cursing for not paying attention to their surroundings), Amberstorm spun around, to meet the disbelieving eyes of Snowclaw.

* * *

**Oooh! Cliffie! Guys~question: Do you like SnowxAmber, MarshxAmber or WhitexSnow better? I would make a poll but I ALREADY HAVE A POLL ON MY PROFILE with DovexTiger and DovexBumble, so vote on the poll on my profile page, reivew saying your fav OC pairing, and here's our quote! **

* * *

**Quote: **

_**Tigerclaw: "Stop that moaning. **_**Now, _will some cat tell me what's going on? Graystripe, do you know this RiverClan cat?"_**

**_Graystripe: "I loved her." _**

**_Tigerclaw: "What~these are _your _kits?" _**

**_Graystripe: "Mine and Silverstream's. I know what you'll say, Tigerclaw. Don't bother. I don't care." _**

**_-Tigerclaw and Graystripe about Silverstream in "Forest of Secrets" _**

* * *

**That was one of my fav lines in the book. Graystripe grieving over his mate (I prefer Silverstream over Millie. Seriously. WHO DOESN'T?) and telling Tigerclaw to shut up. Epic xD **

**-Sky**


	36. Return to the Clans

**Halooo! Sorry I couldn't update, but my MOM TOOK AWAY THE FREAKING COMPUTER SO I COULDN'T WRITE. ATTACK MY MOM!**

**Disclaimer: Sootkit, you do it. **

**Sootkit: Sky does not own Warriors! That goes to Erin Hunter.**

* * *

_Snowclaw awoke to a _chilly breeze. The wind swirled around him and buffeted his pure white fur. He groaned and shivered. He looked to his side, and realized that the comforting warmth of Amberstorm was no longer there. _So that's why it was so cold, _he thought.

Amberstorm...speaking of Amberstorm and Whitepaw, Snowclaw was completely and utterly confused with his feelings toward both of them. Amberstorm was pretty and nice and had a spunky personality, and, sure, Snowclaw liked her. But...she never said anything about liking _him. _And Whitepaw...he knew Whitepaw's feelings toward him. It made him feel...safer, somehow, knowing that she liked you back. He never hung out with Amberstorm anymore, well, because...

_What if she doesn't like me back? _

Snowclaw's twitching and fidgeting had woken up Brightheart beside him, and she opened her sleepy eyes.

"Snowclaw?" she mumbled sleepily. "Why don't you go take a walk? It'll be better for both of us."

"Okay," Snowclaw replied, gently getting to his paws. He dodged stray tails and whiskers that might block his way, and finally made it outside the warriors' den.

Without the shelter and warmth of the den, Snowclaw felt even colder, and involuntarily shuddered. Suddenly, he caught Amberstorm's scent trail. And it was fresh.

_Now what is she up to? _he wondered, starting to follow the trail. Amberstorm's trail led him out of the camp, over to the _gulp. ShadowClan border. _What was Amberstorm _doing_? Was she going to spy on them? Was she going to attack them? Snowclaw knew that Amberstorm _was _brash enough to do exactly that.

His brother, Dewshade, was sitting outside doing his silent vigil. He glared at him but kept his jaws shut. Still, Snowclaw knew perfectly well what he was going to say. _What are _you _doing? _

Suddenly, Snowclaw heard voices.

"Over and over you plagued my thoughts. Over and over I looked for you," A ShadowClan tortoiseshell tom was mewing. Amberstorm sat beside him, her amber eyes shining.

Snowclaw felt panic well up inside him.

"I had a lot of fun last night," the tom continued.

_They've been meeting before?! _

"Who didn't?" Amberstorm answered, which made Snowclaw think that she had also had 'fun'. Suddenly, betrayal, sharp as flint, stabbed him in the heart. His vision momentarily blackened, and he felt a tear trail down his cheek, before he hastily (and quietly) wiped it away.

"True," the tortoiseshell tom~whom Snowclaw finally recognized as Marshpaw~mewed again. "But I think I had the most, because I was playing and laughing with the cat of my dreams." he took a deep breath. "Amberstorm, I...I think I'm in love with you."

That was the breaking point. Snowclaw couldn't take it. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out from the shadows.

"Amberstorm?"

* * *

"Come on, almost there!" Tigerheart urged, then groaned as his mind throbbed. He suddenly crumpled on his paws, and, to his dismay, the cats around him started yelling indistinguishable words. He closed his eyes and groaned again. Tigerheart had had these episodes ever since he had been hit by that monster. Usually, he was able to disguise it, but it had never been this intense.

Suddenly, he saw memories flashing before his eyes...

_...of a beautiful gray she-cat with green eyes~Dovewing, he somehow knew the name. Foreign but still comforting. She yowled in terror, clinging to a branch in the middle of a flooding river during a storm. He himself was also quickly swept away, though, even with her fur soaked through and through and plastered onto herself, Tigerheart still thought she was beautiful..._

_...of the same beautiful gray she-cat, now completely dry at an old, broken down Twoleg nest. Her glowing green eyes were wide with fear with her lips parted in a silent cry as she pushed him..._

_...of the beautiful she-cat, Dovewing, now sitting beside a pale gray tom with black stripes. Tigerheart felt envy stab at his heart, even though he knew it was for the better..._

_...of Dovewing pressing herself against him, and him rejoicing in her warmth. She murmured softly, "One day we can have kits," and, though he hadn't reacted the way she wanted, the very idea of having kits with this beautiful she-cat made him feel fuzzy and warm in the inside..._

And then it was over, with Tigerheart gasping and sitting bolt upright, startling the cats beside him. The memories faded, and Tigerheart completely forgot about them. If he tried, he couldn't even pull out a picture.

"Tigerheart," Jayfeather mewed carefully, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Tigerheart murmured, his eyes falling on a gray she-cat with green eyes. "I'm good."

Jayfeather flattened his ears warily, but said nothing. The group pushed on in silence, until Halfpaw yowled loudly~full of excitement.

Open, flat moors. Thick oaks and pines. And a beach filled with water. And in the middle of it, lay...

"We're back at the lake!" Cinderheart yowled triumphantly, while carrying the still-sick Leafkit.

"Wow," Silver mewed, her eyes wide, while Rocky exclaimed, "It's huge!" The two outsiders seemed fascinated by their first view of the new territories.

Encouraged, the group quickly made their way through WindClan territory (avoiding all WindClan patrols, luckily), but they had to carry Sootkit and Morningkit because, though they were three moons old and able to walk, their legs were still too small to leap the border.

Lionblaze was first, clutching Morningkit firmly in his jaws as his powerful legs pushed off and landed squarely on ThunderClan territory.

Then went Dovewing, holding Sootkit's scruff as she leaped.

One by one, all eight cats crossed the border. The snow was melting, and Tigerheart could see new green plants poking out from under the thin layer of snow.

He heard a rustling, then a yowl, "They're back!" he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Here came his first day as a ThunderClan warrior.

* * *

"Silver, from now on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Silverpaw. Your mentor will be Birchfall."

Said brown tabby tom stepped forward and touched noses with the newly-named Silverpaw, whose blue eyes glowed with excitement.

Bramblestar purred and turned to the second cat.

"Rocky, from now on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Rockpaw. Your mentor will be Ivypool."

No one complained as the silver-and-white she-cat stepped forward, her blue eyes glowing, as she accepted her apprentice. Rockpaw was as old as she was, maybe even older, but he still had to learn the Clan basics, as well as Silverpaw.

Amberstorm padded up to Ivypool. "Congrats," she purred, and was rewarded with an icy glare from Ivypool.

_Great, _she mentally groaned.

"Is this about the thorns in the bedding?" Amberstorm asked nervously. "Because I'm seriously sorry about that."

"No, it is~wait, it was _you _who put the thorns in my bedding?"

Amberstorm blinked sheepishly. "It's always good to forgive and forget...right?"

Ivypool let out a snort of disgust. "I know you've been plotting with Rosepetal."

"I..._what_?" Amberstorm was truly puzzled this time.

Ivypool sighed and instead flicked her tail to beckon Rockpaw over. "Rockpaw!" she called, "Come on! I'm going to show you the territories!" and with a final irritated glare, she left.

Then she spotted Halfpaw. Immediately she directed her paws at her beloved sister. As she went, she brushed past Snowclaw, and hissed, almost inaudibly, _"Please don't tell anyone." _

Snowclaw shot her a look that confirmed he was going to keep her secret, but Amberstorm winced at the undisguised bitterness in the look.

"Halfpaw!" Amberstorm called again, trying to ignore Snowclaw.

Her gray-and-white sister turned, and she purred when she saw Amberstorm coming. "Amberstorm!" she affectionally nuzzled her.

"Listen," Amberstorm took on a more serious tone. "I need to tell you something."

"What?" Halfpaw asked. "But hurry up. Lionblaze's taking me out to do my final assessment."

For the second time of the day, she hissed quietly, "I know who our parents are."

"Who?" Halfpaw asked, louder than Amberstorm would've wanted. She winced and hissed at her to be quiet.

"Who?" Halfpaw repeated, now slightly quieter.

Amberstorm whispered two names, and Halfpaw widened her eyes.

"Impossible!" Halfpaw protested. "That's a lie!"

"Thornclaw confirmed it," Amberstorm mewed darkly.

There was a pause, then Halfpaw sighed. "Well, I guess we can't do anything about our heritage. I'm going to do my final assessment, now."

"Good luck!" Amberstorm called.

* * *

Halfpaw shuffled her paws nervously. Lionblaze and Dovewing sat in front of her.

"Okay, Halfpaw, we're going to track you while you hunt." Dovewing's ears pricked, and a mischievous gleam fell in her eyes. "Let's see if you can find two squirrels and a robin."

Halfpaw groaned. "Did you just pick out the prey that were the farthest away from here?"

Dovewing purred. "Maybe," she answered. "Lionblaze and I will be watching you," and, in that moment, the two disappeared, leaping off into branches.

Sighing, Halfpaw tasted the air, then caught the faint scent of a squirrel. _Oh, well. I should do well to pass this assessment. _Her heartbeat quickened with anticipation when the thought of getting her warrior name went through her mind. _I can't wait! _

Her pace ascended as she continued tracking a squirrel, when she found the fluffy brown rodent. The squirrel looked groggy~it had probably just woken up from it's leafbare-sleep~and was digging on the ground, attempting to reach it's nuts and acorns that it had stored for leafbare.

Luckily, Halfpaw was downwind of it, so she stealthily crept behind it, waggled her haunches, and sprang on the unsuspecting squirrel.

The squirrel squeaked and almost immediately started wriggling, but Halfpaw managed to kill it with a bite to it's neck.

_Thank you, StarClan...and the Tribe of Endless Hunting. _

She scraped frozen dirt over her prey and sniffed the air again, freezing when she heard chatters. She delicately unsheathed a claw, then started climbing up the tree with the hole in it. Quick as lightning, she shoved her paw in the hole and felt her claw hook something furry and fleshy. With difficulty, she yanked the second squirrel out and threw it to the ground with all her force, momentarily paralyzing it.

The squirrel squeaked loudly, and then was quickly silenced forever with another bite to the neck.

She buried the second squirrel along with the first, then she started looking for the red-chested robin.

There was a loud stumble, a yell of 'mousebrain!' and a loud squawk, and then a robin flew her way.

_This has _got _to be too good to be true, _Halfpaw thought, but nevertheless pushed off of her aching hind legs and managed to catch the robin squarely in the wing, bringing it down and killing it with a bite to the spine.

"Silverpaw! You need to watch out where you step! See that perfectly good robin? It's gone now!"

Halfpaw had to stifle a bout of laughter. _Oh, thank you, Silverpaw!_

"Nice job, Halfpaw."

With a yelp, Halfpaw whipped around and saw Lionblaze and Dovewing, each clutching a squirrel in their jaws.

"Let's go back to camp," Lionblaze murmured.

* * *

Amberstorm crept stealthily toward the ShadowClan border. Before she arrived, though, she closed her eyes and briefly remembered her sister's warrior ceremony,

"_Halfpaw, from now on, you will be known as Halfsnow. StarClan honors your leadership skills and courage." _

So it was Amberstorm and Halfsnow.

Halfsnow and Amberstorm.

They weren't going to be separated again, no matter what. Amberstorm was going to make sure of that.

"Amberstorm!"

Amberstorm's head snapped toward the source of the sound. She quickly located Burnetheart and Heavypelt in a gorse bush.

"Hey," Amberstorm greeted, running over to them. "So how was the rogue mission?"

Heavypelt's face scrunched up. "Very successful, unfortunately. The rogues outnumber the entire Clan, never mind the tiny group of warriors we've managed to recruit."

Amberstorm sighed. "That must suck. How are we supposed to defeat them _now_?"

Burnetheart shrugged. "I don't know," she confessed honestly. "Flowerpaw, Flamepaw and Pinepaw are getting vicious. They bay for blood, much like their mother's mother's father."

_Tigerstar, _Burnetheart's comment left the name hanging in the air.

"Yeah," Heavypelt continued. "And we almost got caught plotting against Ratstar. And..." his voice trailed off sadly. "Ratstar tortured Pinenose to death, accusing her of something she didn't do, and I guess that was our warning that we shouldn't plot against him." he shuddered. "Her blood still stains the soil in ShadowClan camp."

"Speaking of which," Amberstorm stated. "Where's Marshlake?"

Burnetheart and Heavypelt exchanged a mournful look.

"Oh, Amberstorm," Burnetheart finally mewed. "Marshlake is dead."

* * *

**I killed Marshie... *cowers behind Amberstorm* DON'T KILL ME! I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a lot of rants over that...but to make up for it, a quote!**

* * *

**Quote: **

_**Stoneteller: "You shouldn't call me that, Lion's Roar. I've been the Teller of the Pointed Stones for many seasons." **_

_**Lion's Roar: "I don't care how long the others have called you Stoneteller. You'll always be Half Moon to me."**_

_**-Half Moon and Lion's Roar in "The Sun Trail" **_

* * *

**Yep. I got my hands on the newest book! Okay, bai :3 *runs behind Amberstorm yet again* DON'T KILL ME! I BEG THY MERCY!**

**-Sky**


	37. Danjo

**Okay...I've been getting a lot of rants because Marshlake's dead. Enjoy, or whatever :P**

**Disclaimer: Morningkit! Your turn! **

**Morningkit: Sky does not own Warriors. **

**Sky: Good kitty.**

* * *

"_Dead?" Amberstorm repeated numbly. Her _mind couldn't process the words. _Oh, Amberstorm...Oh, Amberstorm...Marshlake is dead. _Suddenly, the meaning of Burnetheart's words sank in, and she widened her eyes in realization.

"Marshlake's..._dead_?" she bit back a wail, even though she felt like something had ripped her heart straight out of her chest and had devoured world started spinning, but somehow Amberstorm managed to stand. "I think I'll go now," she mumbled softly, whipping around before either of them could react.

_Dead...dead...dead..._the words that flowed through her head seemed to taunt her. _Dead...dead...dead..._

_Shut up! _Amberstorm finally hissed. _Just shut up! I know he's dead! _Eventually, the words quieted.

She had no memory of stumbling back inside the camp, no memory of Halfsnow's questioning look, no memory of entering the warriors' den and sleeping. Only waking up at dawn, when beautiful streaks ranging from pale yellow to dark red decorated the sky. _Marshlake won't be able to see this. He will never be able to see this. _Amberstorm bit her lip. Why did every thing have go back to Marshlake?

She weakly pulled herself to her paws and blinked the sleep out of her eyes. _And here I go, a brand new day... _She saw Snowclaw and Whitepaw talking together, and tried to make small talk~anything to distract herself from Marshlake. Even bearing with Whitepaw didn't seem so bad.

"Hey, Snowclaw!" Amberstorm called. Snowclaw's head snapped toward her, his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Hey," he replied, not without a trace of hostility.

She brushed pass him, and murmured quietly, so that only he could hear, _"Marshlake is dead." _she paused, watching Snowclaw's eyes widen momentarily, and he looked at her. Amberstorm wasn't sure she liked the look in his eyes. It looked like...desire, mixed with glee and guilt. But before she could judge him, Whitepaw broke the silence by glaring at her.

"Snowclaw," Whitepaw began, pretending that Amberstorm wasn't even there. "What is _that _piece of fox dung doing here?"

Amberstorm glared at her. "You'd better watch your tongue," she warned, her amber eyes taking on a dangerous glint. "Or else you might just end up as fox dung."

Whitepaw's eyes widened at the unuttered threat, and she took a step back. "So, is it a habit of threatening apprentices, now?"

"Only when they're rude and deserve to be taught a lesson," Amberstorm retorted.

In that moment, Snowclaw seemed to disappear, and it was only the ginger she-cat with a bushy tail and four white paws and a golden-brown she-cat, staring down each other each with distinctive amber eyes. Amberstorm wasn't sure what was going to happen, but, if Bumblestripe hadn't interfered, Amberstorm was pretty sure things would've gotten ugly.

"Whitepaw!" he called. "It's time to go on the dawn patrol!"

With a hiss toward Amberstorm and a purr toward Snowclaw, Whitepaw left.

Amberstorm shuddered. _I can't believe that I'm _related _to that poor excuse of a half-decent cat! _

Amberstorm was about to turn to Snowclaw and complain about how he could stand that horrid she-cat, when she froze. Everything disappeared from view, and she was floating in blackness. She seemed paralyzed~unable to even shriek or scream for help. Only her eyes were free~and they darted helplessly everywhere, panicking. _What in the name of the Dark Forest is going on here?_

Suddenly, a handsome ginger tom, with wide blue eyes, appeared in front of her. He had a bushy tail tipped with white, a white underbelly and four white paws. Amberstorm stiffened. The white paws reminded her of a certain worthless piece of fox dung that was supposedly called, 'Whitepaw'.

"Hello, Amberstorm," the tom mewed. He looked young~not much older than Snowclaw~but his eyes held wisdom that not even Sandstorm or Purdy had. He seemed to be there without fully being there, and his mew was deep and rich~full of confidence, but not in the least bit arrogant.

Somehow, Amberstorm found her voice. "Who are you?" three-word sentences. Amberstorm deserved to be praised to have managed to choke them out.

The tom purred. "That...is a question I cannot truthfully answer. Who are we, really? Not the titles that we hold, that we are called, but literally who we _are_. I could give you a few examples of the titles, or so-called names, but that is not literally who I _am_. I could be known as the son of my father, but that would only show my heritage, am I wrong?"

"No," Amberstorm grudgingly admitted, but secretly she was impressed about how he spoke such certainty, such honesty. Never had she encountered a cat like this. "Fine. What is your _title_?"

Yet again the tom purred. "That, too, is difficult. For my life has been long, very long, and many titles I have earned, many titles I have been called. The problem~" he added, when he saw that Amberstorm was about to hiss in frustration. "~is that you are not asking specific enough questions. For example, I could give you one of my lesser-known titles, or maybe the one that I've been called with the most, though I don't know if you will _want _that specific title, because you've never asked."

"Just tell me your most-used title," Amberstorm growled.

The tom's eyes glimmered with amusement, as if he was excited that Amberstorm was angry at him. "Well, then, that would be Cognitor Omnia Quae. I was given that title from my father, who realized that I had a great destiny ahead of me." he curled his lip, as if remembering his kithood. "I remember his specific words: _'Our son here has a great destiny. Might as well have a great name to go along with it. His name will be Cognitor Omnia Quae,' _when I heard that, I was so proud of my name that I didn't want to shorten it's glory: so I kept it long." his eyes softened. "And then, later on, when I was still a young tom, I met Midnight. We made the oddest couple, I have to say, a badger and a cat! The merest thought was laughable. But I loved her, and she loved me." his eyes crinkled. "So I think it worked out.

"Amberstorm, I need to tell you something," Cognitor Omnia Quae continued. Briefly and quickly, he told her about the Seven, and everything that had happened to them, and how they were still searching for the Seventh. "But you see," he finished up. "The Orb only makes up a quarter of my vast knowledge. You see, if I had the endurance to even touch the Orb~which I do not have, as you can see~I would be able to take over the Tribe of Rushing Water, the Tribe of Endless Hunting, the four great Clans, StarClan and even the Dark Forest. Basically, the entire world. There are four great Quarters of the World." his eyes crinkled yet again. "That's why, the first time the Dark Forest arose, there were four cats to defend the Clans, and why there are four great Clans. Because they represent the four great Quarters. The Seven, along with the Orb, is just the first Quarter: Power.

"The second Quarter would be Dream, while the third would be Change. The fourth Quarter is the greatest of all: It holds not one, but _two_, as you would call it, _mini_-Quarters that make up the fourth one. They are together, because they are, in a way, one. The fourth Quarter is Time and Change."

"Cognitor Omnia Quae," Amberstorm began. "Could you explain how the Clans and the Four represent the four Quarters?"

"Let's start with the Clans." Cognitor Omnia Quae mewed. "From all changes made to ThunderClan over time, wouldn't that be significant? I remember the mere word 'kittypet' was disgraceful, and others would sneer at the very thought of it. But now, have you seen Silverpaw? She was a former kittypet, but she was accepted without a complaint. Thus, ThunderClan represents Time and Destiny. WindClan, after being so hostile toward ThunderClan, kind, hostile again once Onestar hardened his heart, kind again during the last Dark Forest battle, that would perfectly show Change.

"ShadowClan would be Power, because a lot of it's leaders bayed for power, did they not? And power, they gained." Cognitor Omnia Quae seemed especially mournful while saying this. "But power corrupts. That is why I gave the gift of Power to the most sensible seven cats I could find. And RiverClan, of course, would be Dream, for, the way they love fish, though it is revolting to other Clans, seems like they're adrift from reality, does it not? But they are just seeing it from a different perspective.

"And now, we move on to the cats. Jayfeather, of course, represents Time and Destiny: After all, he can enter memories or 'travel' back in time, which altered his destiny. Lionblaze represents Power, of course, because nothing can harm him. Dovewing represents Dream, because, with her exceptional hearing, she can know what is happening even in a dream realm. And, finally, Firestar represents Change, because of the amount of things he has changed, for the better." Cognitor Omnia Quae closed his eyes.

"You must tell this to the Seven."

And, in that moment, Amberstorm returned to her position before she had been engulfed in darkness. No time had passed. And, also in that exact moment, Heavypelt and Burnetheart's group entered ThunderClan camp.

* * *

Cinderheart had settled down in the nursery, and, much to her delight, Morningkit and Sootkit had quickly become good friends with Windkit and Petalkit. Leafkit, however, was still gravely ill with blackcough, and Jayfeather and Seedflower were doing everything they could to find a cure. They gave her yarrow to get the fluids out again, they gave her poppy seeds to help her get some rest, they even gave her catmint to see if that would work. Unfortunately, it didn't, and just wasted a whole pile of catmint. Cinderheart almost purred at the thought of Jayfeather realizing that he had just wasted catmint.

Suddenly, pawsteps sounded in the camp, and Cinderheart abruptly stood up, ignoring the mewls of protest from Sootkit and Morningkit, who were still suckling. Quickly, Cinderheart padded out of the nursery, her eyes widening when she saw a group of ShadowClan cats in the camp. _Are they attacking us? _Hissing, she quickly unsheathed her claws. They weren't laying a whisker on her kits.

"Stop!" a brown tabby she-cat yowled at the front. "We aren't here to attack! Ratstar...Ratstar is the cause of this pointless war! He makes kits apprentices when they're less than six moons! He forces them to train with claws unsheathed! He...he is the second _Brokenstar. _We refuse to follow him, so I ask for refuge in your camp. We ask for help to drive Ratstar and his group of rogues and followers out of the lake."

Cinderheart was so surprised that she momentarily sheathed her claws.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Dewshade challenged.

The she-cat at the front met his gaze evenly. "If you don't believe us, then let's take a stroll through ShadowClan camp and see, shall we?"

Dewshade looked surprised for a moment, before pulling his lips back in a snarl as he realized that he had just gotten dissed.

"Very well," Bramblestar answered. "But, during your stay, you must hunt as well as eat. We will put your apprentices in the apprentices' den, warriors in the warriors' den, and so on. And, of course, I'd like to formulate a battle plan to attack Ratstar."

"Bramblestar! You can't be serious about believing these fox hearts!" Dewshade protested.

Bramblestar silenced him with a glare. "Are you calling my sister untrustworthy?"

Dewshade blinked in surprise as he recognized Tawnypelt, then pulled his lips back again as he realized he was just dissed a second time.

Bramblestar waved the senior ShadowClan warriors into his den, and they began discussing the battle plan on how to drive Ratstar and his cronies out.

Suddenly, a shriek pierced the air. It was coming from the nursery, and Cinderheart dashed inside as quick as she could.

"Daisy!" she gasped. The plump ThunderClan queen's belly convulsed and twitched. "Should I get Seedflower or Jayfeather?"

"Yes!" Daisy choked out, before her belly continued to twitch.

Spinning on her paws, Cinderheart sprinted out of the nursery and ran right smack into Jayfeather.

"Jayfeather!" Cinderheart yowled. "Daisy's having her kits!"

The blind medicine cat didn't need to be told twice. He moved with greater speed than Cinderheart, and arrived before she did. When Cinderheart entered the nursery, Jayfeather was already shoving a kit in her direction.

"Lick off the membrane first, _then _help it breathe," Jayfeather ordered as he turned back to Daisy.

Cinderheart licked the kit's head, feeling the slimy membrane on her tongue. Quickly, she lapped it all up and started licking the kit's fur the wrong way. It seemed to take an eternity, but eventually the kit began to wail.

"Tom!" she reported, before picking him up by the scruff and depositing him at Daisy's belly. The tom was pitch-black, like his father, and had a brown muzzle. Rapidly, the tiny kit latched on to Daisy's belly and began suckling.

Meanwhile, Jayfeather was licking a second ginger tabby to life. As his tongue hit the kit's head for the third time, the kit began to wail loudly. Cinderheart winced and screwed up her ears.

"Also tom!" Jayfeather yelled loudly over the kit's cries. He quickly dropped the kit beside Daisy's belly and immediately the kit quieted. Cinderheart sighed with relief.

At that moment, Seedflower entered, carrying borage in her mouth. She dropped it near Daisy's muzzle. "Here," she mewed. "You know what this does."

As Daisy obediently licked up the herbs, Cinderheart went outside and yowled, "Spiderleg! You can come see your kits!"

Moments later, the kits had names. The black tom with the brown muzzle was named Nightkit, while the ginger tabby was named Redkit.

"Cinderheart!"

A golden tabby tom crashed into her, and Cinderheart purred.

"Hi, Lionblaze," she greeted, brushing her pelt against his.

"We've made a plan," Lionblaze mewed excitedly. "We're~"

He was abruptly cut off by Bramblestar as he yowled, "Cats of ThunderClan and ShadowClan, we will attack tonight!"

* * *

The she-cat opened her eyes. Her leg still throbbed slightly, and her mouth was dry. "Water," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. Almost immediately wet moss was shoved her way, and she obediently lapped it up, feeling the cool moisture drip down her throat. She sighed in relief.

"_Dae ni ka?" _a voice asked. It was not her tongue, and the she-cat was confused.

"I...don't speak your tongue," she weakly explained.

"_Ah, jongo kai wa." _the same voice explained to another.

"_Dajo ka?" _a different voice asked the same voice.

Finally, the she-cat forced her eyes open. She was surrounded by brown tabbies. An entire family. There was the father, the mother, two older toms, three younger toms, and a tom and a she-kit near the mother's belly.

"_Mami, mami, konna wai she masu?" _the she-kit asked her mother.

"_Kondo waikara, Emi," _the mother gently replied. Seeing this made the she-cat's heart ache, probably something of her past, but she could remember what it was.

"Umm...excuse me, I am terribly grateful for your hospitality, but I do not speak your tongue," the she-cat repeated.

The father murmured something to his mate, then turned to her, and spoke with a heavy accent in her tongue, "We has find you hurt. Is you feel good here?"

The she-cat inwardly purred. "I'm feeling very good now."

"Name of me is _Materesu_, or Forest in tongue of yours."

"I is _Kanata, _or Flower," the mother mewed.

One by one, the family introduced themselves. The first tom of the first litter was called _Bosu, _or Oak, while his brother was _Boru_, Aspen.

The second litter had _Wajima, _Fallen, _Kourie, _Water and _Konjo, _Storm.

The tom-kit from the youngest litter was named _Quaejon, _Stone, and the she-kit was _Emi_, or Tiny.

_Materesu_, or Forest, turned to the she-cat, expectancy shining in his eyes. "And yours are?" he questioned.

The she-cat blinked. "I am...?"

"What your name is?" _Kanata, _or Flower, asked her.

The she-cat bit her lip. "I don't know," she confessed. "I've lost my memory."

"_Err anquita?" Bosu_, or Oak, asked his brother, _Boru_/Aspen.

"_Saina," Boru_/Aspen replied.

_Emi_/Tiny studied her, then yelled in her own language, _"Nee nee danjo que!" _

"_Danjo?" Materesu_/Forest asked doubtfully, then studied her. _"Ah, Emi, brava! Nee que danjo!" _he gave the she-cat a sheepish look and translated, "My daughter say you could name Leaf."

"Leaf," the she-cat repeated, her eyes lighting up. "Leaf." _I could live with that. _

"_Danjo," Quaejon_/Stone exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

"_Danjo," Kourie_/Water repeated, his eyes shining.

_Yes, _the newly-named Leaf thought. _Danjo indeed._

* * *

**Soo...in the last POV the language is rougly modeled after Japanese, but isn't ACTUALLY Japanese. It's my own proper language ^^ I'm too lazy to find a quote, so review, vote on the poll on my profile page, and yeah, maybe I'll bring the quotes back. kthxbai ( Maxlin: I am SO not copying you! xD)**

**P.S Couldja guys help send in some kits? Here's the form: **

**Name: **

**Gender: **

**Appearance: **

**Personality:**

**ex. (I'ma use Petalkit) **

**Name: Petalkit**

**Gender: She-kit**

**Appearence: gray with white spots**

**Personality: Kind, quiet and soft-spoken. **

**Okay, that's it! See ya. **

**-Sky**


	38. The Fight Part 1

**Wooo! This is the LONGEST CHAPTER I've ever written in the history of ever! It has 5,074 words (excluding the author notes) and 11 pages! Yayy! And this is only part 1 of the battle...wow**

**Disclaimer: Leafkit**

**Leafkit: *lets out a hacking cough* Sky does not own Warriors!**

* * *

_The moonlight shone through _ThunderClan camp, while a certain white-and-gray she-cat paced on the ground, waiting for the plan to be launched in action.

She looked at Lionblaze's patrol. They were doing the most dangerous part, which was why only the seasoned warriors sat there. Ivypool, Birchfall, Blossomfall, Thornclaw...Halfsnow felt pride glow in her heart as she looked at her sister, Amberstorm, who was sitting among them. _You show them, Amberstorm! _

She looked at her own patrol. It was led by Squirrelflight, and it had Spiderleg, Sorreltail, Berrynose, Hazeltail, Poppyfrost, Dovewing, Snowclaw, Dewshade, Graystripe, Whitewing, Brightheart, Cloudtail and Lilystone.

The final patrol was led by Bramblestar. Halfsnow was too hyped up to recognize the cats that were in that patrol, except that she knew that Tigerheart was in there. Originally, he was supposed to be put in Lionblaze's patrol, but Bramblestar was afraid that if they saw Tigerheart fighting for his new Clan, they would be insanely aggravated, so Tigerheart was put with the ShadowClan cats in Squirrelflight's patrol. At least he was delighted Heavypelt was a warrior now.

"Cats of ThunderClan and ShadowClan!" Bramblestar yowled from the Highledge. Cats immediately quieted. "The five apprentices will be guarding camp~"

A chorus of 'awwwww's came from the apprentice group.

"~and will play an important part in defending the elders, queens, kits and Jayfeather."

A second chorus of 'yayyyyy!' came yet again from the same group.

"Seedflower will be the field medic," Bramblestar continued, "And Jayfeather will stay at camp, tending to the more serious injuries. We all know the plan, right?" Confident nods rippled throughout the crowd, and Bramblestar curled his lip in satisfaction. "Good," he amended. "Let's move out."

Almost immediately the cats set out on the paths that they had practiced so much before, and Halfsnow felt like she was stepping in the exact same spots she stepped before. Quickly, they crossed the ShadowClan border, rolled through the marshes, hid in the bushes, and waited.

For Halfsnow, the first few practice times were in ThunderClan, and they didn't have to wait long, seeing as the practice round went perfectly. But now she had to wait for...she didn't know how long, but every heartbeat felt like a moon. Time seemed to drag out, but, finally, she heard the signal.

"ThunderClan triumphs!"

She shot out of the bushes and seemed to fly. She entered the camp just as the last of Lionblaze's patrol left.

Showtime.

Screeching, she immediately barreled into Starlingwing, remembering how he had attacked her so viciously all six moons ago, when she was still a new apprentice. Starlingwing looked surprised, but when Halfsnow slashed him across the flank, recognition plastered itself on his face, and he sneered, "So, finally a warrior, are you?"

"Wow," Halfsnow replied sarcastically. "How'd you guess?"

"You're fatter," Starlingwing answered, snickering.

Halfsnow ignored him as she ducked under him and slashed his belly. She heard Starlingwing hiss, but, when she got out, he sent her flying with a kick of his hind legs.

Halfsnow yowled as she tumbled through the air. She hissed as she slammed painfully against a pine tree, the rough bark digging into her skin. Nevertheless, she pulled herself back to her paws.

"What's the matter, fox heart?" Halfsnow taunted, her eyes gleaming. "Too scared to take me on?"

Starlingwing reared up on his hind legs and roared, "You wish, piece of ThunderClan dung!" he lunged forward...and Halfsnow skidded to the side.

Starlingwing twisted in midair and landed on his paws just as Halfsnow whipped around and ran out of the camp. As predicted, Starlingwing let out an indignant cry and yelled, "Come back here, coward!" Halfsnow didn't need to look back to know that he was chasing her.

As Halfsnow exited the camp, she doubled back around it. A yelp behind her assured that Starlingwing was ambushed.

_And now Lionblaze's patrol will take care of Ratstar_.

She re-entered the ShadowClan camp, satisfied that it was near-empty~most had run away, in fear of being murdered. ThunderClan fought with no mercy.

Finally, the last few stragglers whipped around and ran away.

Halfsnow felt triumphant, basking in the glory of their won battle, but even that was short-lived, because, the moment Squirrelflight and the rest of the cats relaxed, thinking it was over, a tom leaped from inside the warriors' den and lunged for Graystripe's throat. The elderly warrior yelped, and tried to block his throat, but it was too late. The ShadowClan's warrior's fangs sunk into the gray warrior's neck and a sickening _snap! _was heard as Graystripe's life ended.

* * *

Lionblaze watched as the last of Squirrelflight's patrol hid in the bushes, and then waved his tail. _Let's move out, _he thought, determined.

Quieter than the night itself, they slunk near the ShadowClan camp. For the first time, he glimpsed the ShadowClan cats, along with the rogues, and stifled a gasp. Great StarClan, their numbers looked like double of ThunderClan! For a moment, the first flicker of doubt went in him. _Can we really win? _Then he remembered Mousewhisker, and Millie. They had _died _during the war. It was time to put an end to this bloodshed.

Letting out a yowl, Lionblaze leaped from his position in the bushes that surrounded the ShadowClan camp and attacked.

Almost immediately the ShadowClan cats and rogues turned on them, hissing and spitting. He grappled with a tom smelling of Thunderpaths and Twoleg nests. Muscles ripped under his scarred pelt, and his eyes looked wild for blood. He lunged for Lionblaze's flank, trying to slash as deeply as he was able to, then looked surprised when it did no damage. Of course, pain still seared through him where the rogue clawed him.

He flicked his tail, and his patrol formed a sort of line that blocked most of the Clan away from their comrades. He slashed forward, driving back the cats until they had no choice but to back up. Lionblaze's patrol cornered the cats until they were squashed up against a part of the camp, and Ratstar bailed, squeezing out, and the rest of ShadowClan quickly followed. "ThunderClan triumphs!" he hollered.

Lionblaze flicked his tail. "Let's go," he called to his patrol.

All of his cats, excluding Blossomfall~who was checking to see if Squirrelflight's patrol had entered without delay~pursued Ratstar's group. Now their main goal was to keep them busy while reinforcements arrived to force them out of the lake.

Lionblaze was met by the same rogue, smelling of dirty Twoleg nests and Thunderpaths. His coal-gray fur was matted and his golden eyes were wild.

"Die, scum!" he spat. "The forest is _ours_ now. We will take what we want."

_That's what you think, _Lionblaze inwardly thought, but kept his jaws shut as he pushed onto his hind legs. His front paws clawed and slashed any piece of fur he could reach, but before he could pounce on him and force him to surrender, Lionblaze was roughly knocked away.

"_Mrrroww!" _Lionblaze exclaimed loudly as he tumbled and rolled, his golden fur turning into a dull, dirty brown. The second cat looked hauntingly like the first one, and smelled the same. The only difference was that the first cat had golden eyes, while the second had amber.

"You aren't laying a paw on my brother, filth!" he snarled as he yanked his claws over Lionblaze's forehead, and he winced, grateful for his power. The tom looked momentarily surprised before he started slashing again, viciously cutting in hopes of drawing blood.

Lionblaze yowled with pain and tried to wriggle out, but the first tom was gripping him now. _Two on one? That's just cowardly! _he thought, wincing.

Meanwhile, he felt his power weaken. The thick invisible layer that had always protected his skin was breaking down, and Lionblaze knew what would happen then. He would be as vulnerable as the next cat when it came to wounds.

Suddenly, a loud screech sounded and the two cats were off of Lionblaze, who looked at the mousebrained/brave cat that had dared to attack them.

Of course. Amberstorm. Now why wasn't Lionblaze surprised?

He watched as she flipped, ducked, rolled under the amber-eyed tom and hooked his legs out before rolling out of him and pouncing on the golden-eyed tom, and shoving the golden-eyed tom into his brother when he had recovered, sending them spiraling again. Amberstorm noticed him watching and snapped, "Well? Are you coming?" her remark sent Lionblaze to his paws and knocked away the amber-eyed tom while Amberstorm dealt with the golden-eyed one.

Hissing, the amber-eyed tom reared up and swiped at his muzzle. Lionblaze blinked at the sudden pain, and then rolled under the amber-eyed tom, lashing out with his hind legs and raking out clumps of fur. Warm, sticky blood spilled on him, staining his now-brown pelt.

The amber-eyed tom opened his jaws to shriek in pain, when Lionblaze heaved himself up and sent him flying. "Thornclaw! Ivypool!" Lionblaze yelled. "Go back to the camp and deal with Starlingwing!"

The two said warriors nodded, left their opponents, and ran to ambush Starlingwing. The two enemies looked momentarily confused, before whipping around and giving chase. Lionblaze snarled, "Oh, no, you don't!" running over to the amber-eyed tom, he hooked his claws in his fur and flung him with all the strength he could muster. The amber-eyed tom yowled with surprise before crashing into Thornclaw and Ivypool's former opponents. A heartbeat passed before they got back up, and then the golden-eyed tom was kicked over to them, sending them toppling again. If he weren't in the midst of a battle, Lionblaze would've purred.

Then he lunged when they got back up a third time. He stood in front of them, blocking their way.

"Lionblaze!" Birchfall wormed his way through the screeching, fighting cats and stood beside him, panting. "You are either the stupidest or bravest cat I have ever seen."

"Uhh...thanks?"

Suddenly, hissing was heard, and more cats ran from the bushes~enough to outnumber ThunderClan ten to one. The fishy scent of RiverClan hit his nose.

_Great StarClan! What are we going to do now? _

* * *

At that moment, Blossomfall arrived, spitting, and attacked Rushtail, whom was one of the RiverClan cats Lionblaze recognized, and knocked her over.

Kicking Rushtail a final time, she landed beside him. "Yeah?" she asked, breathless.

"Go to WindClan, and get help," Lionblaze mewed urgently. "The plan is useless to us now~we would've never predicted that ShadowClan would ask RiverClan for help."

Blossomfall pelted through the trees, panting heavily. She sighed grumpily at the number of tasks she had to do, and when Lionblaze sent her back to check that Squirrelflight's patrol had made it safely in, she was attacked. And had to wrestle a stinking ShadowClan cat before running back and attacking _Ratstar_. And now she had to run over to WindClan, get help, then run back, and fight again. And it wasn't helping when she was in her...condition.

Reflecting on it, that was probably the most 'and's she had used in a single heartbeat.

She crossed ThunderClan territory quickly~ShadowClan had already taken so much territory that their territory began at their camp~and leaped the river that was the WindClan border.

She landed on her paws and continued running to the shallow dip in the ground on the moor. Without any trees, she felt horribly exposed with her bright tortoiseshell-and-white pelt, but still ran.

At the camp, two cats stood guard. "You!" he yelled. "What're you doing he~"

"ThunderClan needs help!" Blossomfall interrupted. "There are wounded, and we are severely outnumbered by ShadowClan and RiverClan! HELP!"

The cat, whom Blossomfall now realized was Furzepelt, paused, thinking it over. "Hurry up!" she shrieked. "My Clanmates are _dying _as you're taking your sweet time!"

Furzepelt shot her an annoyed look. "Fine," she scowled. "I'll take you to Ashstar, but don't try any funny business."

Blossomfall rolled her eyes while she was led in the camp. Again, she felt horribly exposed, but at least she saw a clear view of Silverpelt in the night sky.

"Furzepelt?" Ashstar asked, bounding up to them. "What is this ThunderClan warrior doing here?"

"She says that ThunderClan is being attacked by ShadowClan and RiverClan and claims they need help." Furzepelt stated flatly.

Suddenly, a loud howl sounded. "GRAYSTRIPE!"

"See?" Blossomfall stated, albeit with a tinge of annoyed-ness in her tone.

Ashstar sighed. "Great StarClan..okay, we'll help you. Crowfeather!" she called to her deputy. "Lead a patrol~a big one~to help ThunderClan battle ShadowClan and RiverClan."

The skinny dark gray tom looked up, then started gathering cats.

"And you~" Ashstar pointed her tail toward Blossomfall, who fidgeted nervously. "You go to Kestrelflight. You have some nasty wounds there."

"But~" Blossomfall protested, until she realized that there was no point in resisting. "Fine," she sighed reluctantly, then dragged herself over to the medicine cat's den.

"Kestrelflight?" she called out shyly.

"Coming!" a voice called inside the den, then Kestrelflight emerged with a leaf clinging to his fur, then blinked in surprise. "Well, those are some nasty scratches."

"What Ashstar said," Blossomfall muttered under her breath.

Kestrelflight frowned. "I heard. You really shouldn't be fighting, you know."

Blossomfall sighed. "Kestrelflight," she lowered her voice. "We've gone through this a million times. They may be your kits, but I'm the one kitting them. Besides," she added gently when a concerned look appeared on his face. "I'm about to kit soon, anyway. I don't think any warrior~or rogue, for that matter, will attack me roughly."

Kestrelflight eyed her doubtfully. "What about now?" he reminded her.

"It's oka~oh!" Blossomfall suddenly gasped as she fell to the ground, her belly beginning to convulse.

"Why didn't you stay with the queens?" Kestrelflight yell-whispered.

"And tell them you're the father?" Blossomfall yell-whispered back. She gasped a second time, and Kestrelflight hurriedly gave her a stick.

"Don't scream, just bite," Kestrelflight nuzzled his mate. "At least you were here instead of on the battlefield."

Blossomfall bit down on the stick. Pure pain coursed through her, and it wasn't helping that her stomach was twitching. For a few moments, the pain was so intense that her vision blacked, and she bit down so hard on the thick, sturdy stick that it splintered.

"Easy, now," Kestrelflight's soothing voice made Blossomfall relax, and spit the broken stick out. She looked up and saw Kestrelflight licking a tiny black she-kit with a bushy tail. Suddenly, she began to wail.

"Kestrelflight?" a voice called. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing!" Kestrelflight had to raise is voice to be heard over the kit's cries. "I just dropped a stone on Blossomfall's paws. Great StarClan, be quiet, Blossomfall!" he dropped the black she-kit near Blossomfall's belly and she immediately latched on, quietly suckling.

"Great StarClan, at least four more," Kestrelflight whispered, pawing her another stick.

Another wave of belly-convulses made Blossomfall bite down harder on the stick, which was also beginning to crack. She felt something wet and slimy slither out, and the heartbeat the kit began to wail, Kestrelflight dropped it at Blossomfall's belly, not wanting the anonymous WindClan warrior to hear. Blossomfall weakly opened her eyes. The second was a white she-kit.

Yet again Blossomfall's belly convulsed, making Blossomfall crack the stick again. She looked at it while spitting out the slivers of the stick. It was a dark brown tabby tom kit.

Sighing, Kestrelflight pawed her another stick, whispering playfully in her ear, "At this rate, I'm going to be out of sticks!" while Blossomfall purred weakly, before wincing as another kit slithered out. She looked at the newest kit. It was a _light _brown tabby tom kit, now. She noticed that the stick was cracking in her jaws.

Blossomfall's belly convulsed a final time, and the stick splintered again. Panting, she looked at the final kit. It was small, with fluffy gray fur. _She-kit_, she noted.

"Would you like to name them?" Kestrelflight breathed in her ear, making Blossomfall shudder. She turned to her mate and licked his cheek before nodding. "The first one," she nudged the first tiny black she-kit with the bushy tail. "Will be named Ebonykit."

Kestrelflight nodded, purring. "Whatever you want," he teased.

"The second one, the white she-kit, will be named Mallowkit," Blossomfall continued.

"How about the dark brown tabby tom is named Deerkit?" Kestrelflight asked, while Blossomfall shrugged.

"Sure," she answered.

The last tom was named Flightkit, and the fluffy gray one was named Sweetkit.

"Five kits," Kestrelflight muttered. "What're you going to do now? Are you going to return to the nursery?"

Blossomfall replied without hesitating. "I'm going to fight."

"Oh, no, you aren't." a voice said at the entrance. Blossomfall's eyes flew wildly around as she whipped around and saw, with disbelief, Briarlight.

* * *

"ThunderClan triumphs!" a voice yelled in the ShadowClan camp.

At the sound of that, Dovewing leaped from her place in the bushes and pelted in the camp. Yowls of shock and surprise were heard, but she ignored it and instead pounced on the first cat she saw.

It was a she-cat, with matted, dirty gray fur. She smelled of pines, but not of ShadowClan. _Rogue, _Dovewing thought.

The she-cat widened her eyes, then, hissing, she turned on her, raking her claws across Dovewing's muzzle.

Dovewing blinked, her muzzle on fire, but she still made a neat strike to her head, clawing above her eye. The blood spilled into her eyes, blinding her.

Almost leaping with victory, Dovewing whipped to the side and tried to claw her, but the rogue she-cat whipped around alongside her, to her surprise, and blocked the attack coming her way. "Didn't see that coming, didja, now?" Even with the blood in her eyes, she seemed to see Dovewing's every move, from paw-swipe to ducking to jumping. In fact, the rogue seemed to see with enhanced eyes, taking in the tiny movements that Dovewing did before she attacked.

Dovewing snarled in frustration as the rogue neatly dodged yet another lunge and kicked her with her powerful hind legs. "What's the matter?" she taunted. "Too stupid and slow to keep up with me?" Dovewing bared her teeth and ducked under her, trying to nip her, but the rogue lifted her paw and slashed her in the face, making Dovewing cry out.

The rogue quickly pinned Dovewing down while Dovewing vainly wriggled, but to no avail. The rogue bared her sharp teeth, which glinted in the moonlight, and purred. "Well, then, any last words, weakling?"

"Umm...there's a very angry ginger she-cat that's behind you, about to attack you?" Dovewing offered.

The rogue's eyes widened as she understood the meaning in Dovewing's words, but was too slow to react. Squirrelflight shoved the rogue over, pinning her, and started clawing and nipping her with no mercy. As she raked her claws over the rogue's face, the rogue screeched in pain and agony, and Dovewing realized that Squirrelflight had blinded her. She squirmed and Squirrelflight let her go, watching as she fled from the battlefield.

"You okay?" Squirrelflight asked her, concern glinting in her eyes. "Those are some nasty wounds. Go see Seedflower."

Wincing, Dovewing nodded obediently and padded over to Seedflower, who was safely hidden in some bushes, watching the battle.

"Seedflower!" Dovewing whispered. Seedflower's eyes turned to her and she nodded grimly, pressing cobwebs in her fur. "Ow!" Dovewing winced as marigold juice poured into her wounds.

"Not a lot of cats have been wounded, thankfully," Seedflower mumbled through the leaves that she carried in her mouth. "Just tell Squirrelflight I'm going to Lionblaze's patrol to help, okay?"

Dovewing nodded, her ears pricked. "Sounds like they're having trouble," Dovewing sighed, hoping with all her heart that Ivypool and Birchfall were alright. So far, Ivypool seemed okay, running over to ambush Starlingwing.

Seedflower nodded, gathering all her herbs in her mouth and swabbed her paws in cobwebs. "Bye, good luck!" she mumbled, running off.

Dovewing stood up, wincing as one of her wounds opened again. Letting out a caterwaul, she leaped out from the bushes and crashed into Ferretclaw. Ferretclaw whipped around and drew his lips back into a snarl. "Get out of my way, ThunderClan scum!" he spat.

Dovewing ignored him and rolled under him, her claws unsheathing as she ripped his belly, kicked him, and sent him straight to Whitewing. Dovewing's mother attacked Ferretclaw so harshly that Dovewing didn't even want to watch, but she knew in the end that Ferretclaw was running.

"_You will never win," _a voice whispered in her ear.

Dovewing whipped around and let her mouth fall agape as she saw the ghostly outline of Blazingdawn.

"_You will never win," _she whispered a second time, before disappearing.

Dovewing shook her head, half in confusion, half in fear, and continued fighting.

* * *

"My fur is wet," Berrynose complained as they stalked through ShadowClan territory. Tigerheart screwed up his face and gave him a dirty look, but, unfortunately, the fluff-for-brains didn't get the message.

"Hey," Berrynose protested, "My fur is longer than any of yours!" the battle had clearly begun, with cats shrieking and trampling, risking their lives, and here Berrynose was, complaining about his fur. _Very noble, _Tigerheart thought sarcastically.

"Berrynose, quiet!" Bramblestar snapped. "We're here to reinforce Lionblaze's patrol~they have the hardest job, so shut your mouth!"

Berrynose's complaining maw snapped shut, but he still looked sulky.

As they neared the place where Lionblaze's patrol was fighting, Tigerheart was suddenly aware of a tangy, fishy scent.

"RiverClan!" he hissed. "ShadowClan's brought _RiverClan _to fight!"

Bramblestar bit his lip. "Then the plan is screwed," he declared, sighing.

As they watched, Lionblaze's patrol was outmatched, and RiverClan warriors streamed past them, trying to get to ThunderClan territory.

"Great mother fox dung of all fox dungs!" Bramblestar cursed loudly. "They're heading for the camp! ThunderClan! Fall back!"

Panic coursed through Tigerheart as they pelted toward the camp. Tigerheart was very sure he had never ran faster before, and then something nagged at his head. He groaned loudly and collapsed..

_Not now, not now! _he thought, panicking even more now. _Anytime but now! _

Miraculously, this time the only image was a gray she-cat with glimmering green eyes, but that memory quickly faded away.

"Tigerheart?" Heavypelt called. "Are you alright?"

Tigerheart groggily pulled himself to his paws. "Yeah," he mumbled hoarsely. He was long left behind, and he followed Heavypelt back to ThunderClan camp.

"Bramblestar!" Featherpaw exclaimed when she saw them. "What're you doing here? I thought you were going to reinforce Lionblaze's patrol...?"

"We can't," Bramblestar panted. "RiverClan is coming to attack us."

"What?" Silverpaw managed to cry out before RiverClan arrived.

Instinctively, Tigerheart pounced on the first cat in sight, who was Reedwhisker. His claws slid out and he held on, sinking his teeth into Reedwhisker's shoulder.

Reedwhisker screeched and violently shook him off, turning on him and knocking Tigerheart over. He held Tigerheart in a tight grip and started raking his hind legs down Tigerheart's belly.

Wincing, Tigerheart choked out blood and went limp. Surprised, Reedwhisker loosened his grip, taking the bait, where Tigerheart dug his claws in Reedwhisker's fur and shoved himself up, giving Reedwhisker deep wounds while throwing him off of himself.

Reedwhisker's jaws parted in a silent cry of surprise, and slammed against an oak tree. As he slid down, Tigerheart pounced and dug his claws in his flesh, slamming him yet again on the same oak tree. Reedwhisker twitched before landing heavily on the ground, panting and coughing up blood. Finally, he weakly pulled himself to his paws and fled.

Tigerheart sighed and turned around, only to be knocked over by Mistystar herself.

"M-Mistystar?" Tigerheart stammered. The elderly she-cat's eyes were clear and intelligent, as usual, but he didn't understand the fire glowing in her eyes.

"That was my son you injured," she whispered softly, quietly. "I've already lost all his siblings. I won't lose him." with powerful muscles, she sent Tigerheart flying, who just barely managed to land on his paws.

"_Mmmrowww!"_ Tigerheart yelped, pulling himself into a crouch. He and Mistystar stalked around each other before Tigerheart's muscles tensed up and he attacked her.

But Mistystar was surprisingly fast. With impossible speed, she dodged to the side before raking her claws over his ear, tearing the delicate skin and sending blood gushing over his head.

Tigerheart winced at the burning pain and shook his head, scattering scarlet droplets everywhere. Suddenly, a scent of wind, rabbits and moor hit his nose, and he looked up in confusion.

WindClan had arrived, with Ashstar in the lead.

"Bramblestar!" Ashstar called. "You take your group and go. We'll handle this."

Bramblestar dipped his head and called, "Apprentices!" Obediently, Lightningpaw, Featherpaw, Whitepaw, Silverpaw and Rockpaw bounded over.

"Come," Bramblestar mewed determinedly to his patrol. "We're going to reinforce Lionblaze's patrol."

* * *

Amberstorm crouched near her patrol. Her fur stunk of ShadowClan, but she ignored it. It was worth it, driving _Ratstar _out of the forest. She bared her teeth, simply thinking of sinking them in his flesh.

Finally, Lionblaze signaled with his tail that it was time to attack. He let out a yowl, then leaped from his position in the bushes. A surprised _mmmroww! _was heard, and Amberstorm had to restrain herself from laughing.

The rest of Lionblaze's patrol attacked, sending the once-peaceful night into chaos. Screams, screeches, shrieks, spits and 'Mangy ThunderClan!'s were heard. She leaped from her place in the bushes and attacked.

Her paws landed on a rogue, and he hissed and spat at her. "Mangy ThunderClan!" he howled.

Oh.

Amberstorm blinked in surprise before diving under him, hooking her claws in his pelt, and scoring her hind claws down his soft, exposed belly. The rogue howled and writhed, trying to get free, but the only thing he did was dig Amberstorm's claws deeper into his flesh.

Amberstorm pulled out one paw and ripped the skin above the rogue's forehead, spilling blood into his eyes. The rogue howled before wriggling free and pelting away.

"ThunderClan triumphs!" Lionblaze hollered, which was the signal for Squirrelflight's patrol to enter. As practiced before, the warriors formed a sort of barrier that separated some of the ShadowClan warriors and rogues from others. They forced them into a corner, where Ratstar escaped out of a hole in the camp. The others quickly pursued, with Lionblaze's patrol following them.

ShadowClan quickly stopped running and turned around to fight the moment they were free. Amberstorm crashed into Flowerpaw, Pinepaw and Flamepaw, and almost immediately they curled their lips.

"Hey, look, fresh-kill," Flowerpaw laughed.

"Why not kill it first, instead of eating it alive, like we used to?" Pinepaw chimed in.

"Let's have some fun," Flamepaw added.

Simultaneously, they all pounced.

Instinctively, Amberstorm ducked, rolled, and kicked Flowerpaw into Pinepaw, who was beside her. They yelped and tumbled off, while Amberstorm hooked her claws through Flamepaw's flesh, ignoring his thrashes. When Flowerpaw and Pinepaw 'recovered', she shoved Flamepaw into them, sending them toppling again.

"This is not your battle, kits," she hissed. "Fight some cat else. I'm not above killing cats."

Suddenly, Flowerpaw's eyes widened. "She's the one who killed Scorchfur and Crowfrost!" she howled, running away. Her brothers gave Amberstorm a fearful look before pelting off, overeager to get away from the murderer.

"_Mmmmroww!" _Lionblaze suddenly shrieked. Amberstorm whipped around to see that he was pinned down by two identical toms, and fury bubbled up in her. _Cowards! _Unsheathing her claws, she leaped and knocked them over, sending all three of them tumbling. She flipped and scrabbled awkwardly to get back on her paws, ducked, and rolled under one tom, used Tigerstar's move to hook his legs out, and pounced on the other tom, shoving him into the first tom. She noticed Lionblaze staring at her and snapped, "Well? Are you coming?"

Lionblaze immediately started moving. Lionblaze attacked the one with amber eyes while she herself attacked the one with golden eyes. They rolled on the ground, clawing, hissing and spitting at each other. Finally, Amberstorm got him pinned.

"Oh, no, you don't!"

Amberstorm looked up just in time to see Lionblaze fling the amber-eyed tom toward two cats who were going after Ivypool and Thornclaw. She watched them collapse, scramble, and get back up, and then Amberstorm kicked the golden-eyed tom toward them, making them fall again. Had they not been in the middle of a battle, Amberstorm would've purred.

As the four cats got back on their paws, Lionblaze blocked their way and Birchfall joined them. Suddenly, the tangy smell of water and fish hit the roof of Amberstorm's mouth.

_RiverClan._

Gritting her teeth, Amberstorm pounced on the first RiverClan cat in sight, who was Mossyfoot.

The she-cat yowled and hissed, but Amberstorm kept a firm grip on her as she bit down on her neck. Mossyfoot screeched loudly, shook Amberstorm off, and ran away, blood flying from her neck wound.

By now Lionblaze's patrol was severely outnumbered, and Lionblaze and Birchfall were losing. Amberstorm took a deep breath, and unleashed her dark side, something that Snowclaw and Marshlake had helped suppress.

_Snowclaw hates me and Marshlake is dead. Snowclaw hates me and Marshlake is dead. Snowclaw hates me and Marshlake is dead..._

Her dark side was unleashed.

Snarling, her vision went red. She slashed at every bit of RiverClan or ShadowClan fur she could find. Fury, pure fury, enveloped her, fueling her energy. She, in a word, became savage.

Amberstorm had no recollection of what happened, until she heard more cats pounding into the clearing; Bramblestar and Squirrelflight's group. A dim voice in her head said, _Stop! Before you lose control! _

Taking in deep breaths, Amberstorm willed her dark side to be suppressed again. She poured the happiest moments in her life on her dark side, effectively squashing it.

"_I have one more confession to make...I love you." _

"_Amberstorm...I...I think I'm in love with you." _

She opened her eyes. Dawn was coming. A blazing dawn.

"RiverClan and WindClan are still fighting at our camp," a ThunderClan cat murmured breathlessly. They eyed the small group of ShadowClan cats that weren't injured or hadn't fled. Ratstar was at the front.

"Give it up, Ratstar. Run away, and don't come back." Bramblestar meowed.

Ratstar let out an insane laugh.

"Do you honestly think I'm going to do that?" he curled his lip. Lightning-fast, Amberstorm felt something kick at her side and she landed, with a weight on her.

"_Oomph!" _she exclaimed, suffocating with the weight on top of her, which turned out to be Ratstar.

"You will let me and my warriors stay, or else she will die."

* * *

**Cliffie! Okay, here's the thing: There's only people submitting SHE-KITS, so I would appreciate it if you gave me some toms. As you can see, I switched some of the genders.**

**Okay, my hands hurt too much to type, so no quote.**

**-Sky**


	39. The Fight Part 2

**No. **

**Whatever you say, I'm not sorry, because I am not the one to blame. **

**I was really busy and my mom would always scream and slap me if I started to write.**

**So, no. I'm not sorry.**

**Disclaimer: Windkit.**

**Windkit: Sky does not own Warriors!**

**Sky: Good. Now go away. **

* * *

_Her memory had _returned.

Leaf blinked as they swarmed through her mind, occupying every last bit of space, and she sighed, somehow feeling...clever, and smart again. Her jaws parted loudly as she yawned. Her yawn woke _Kanata_/Flower up.

"_Kon gue stu ji mastu?" _she asked in a rich tongue. During her stay, Leaf had learned a bit of their tongue. For example, Leaf now knew that _Kanata _had just asked her how she slept.

"_Very wells, thank you," _Leaf responded, before wincing. Well then, no one could blame her for being rusty on a tongue that she had learned less than a moon ago, right?

_Kanata _purred. _"Nice to know." _she looked down at her two kits, _Quaejon_, or Stone in Leaf's tongue, and _Emi_, or Tiny in her tongue. _"They look so fragile, don't they?" Kanata _suddenly asked, her eyes glowing with worry.

"_Don't fret," _Leaf gently assured her. _"Quaejon seems being a small bit chilly, but I think Emi have colds." _As if on cue, the tiny light brown tabby coughed, shivered, and snuggled closer to her mother's belly.

_Kanata _bit her lip nervously, and while Leaf frantically reasurred her, _Materesu, Bosu _and_ Boru_.

"_Would you move your _mundui_ around, for _once_?" Bosu _snapped with irritation clear in his tone. While Leaf did not know the exact definition for _mundui_, she assumed it was nothing good. The elder twins had ceaselessly taunted her, mocked her and laughed at her for being so useless at hunting.

"_Bosu!" Kanata _scowled. _"Leaf is older than you are, so you need to be a bit more _huisan._"_

Nor did Leaf know what _huisan _meant...

_Bosu _grumbled something to his sibling, and the duo walked away, searching for prey while making fun of her, no doubt.

"_Ignore them," Kanata _told her firmly. _"They should be ashamed of themselves, making fun of some cat older than they are, even if they cannot hunt prey. You _are _still useful, though," _she added hastily after seeing Leaf's dejected look.

"_No," _Leaf sighed, still in her clumsy tongue. _"Perhaps Bosu and Boru right. I no good at anything. I only waste prey. I leave today, so there no more burden." _

"_Don't!" Kanata _exclaimed, shock in her eyes. _"You aren't useless! I mean...how were you able to tell that Emi had a cold?" _

Suddenly, Leaf's mind began to work. She looked around at the second litter, only about thirteen moons old, beginning to wake, and a purr rumbled in her throat. Yes, this could work. And, if successful, she would make them stronger. She cautiously prodded her memory. _Star...please let it be there! _She was delighted to find that her memory was still there. Now...

"_Kanata," _she began, a wry look beginning to take form in her eyes. _"I have proposition for you..." _

* * *

Amberstorm gasped for air as the superior weight of Ratstar crushed her. Black spots flew across her vision, but she, somehow, managed to bite her lip before saying to let him stay. She would rather die than let him stay. _And to think...this is all for a stupid sprained paw..._

No cat dared say a word. Even Bramblestar seemed shocked to silence. Amberstorm felt Halfsnow's horrified look searing her pelt, while she imagined Whitepaw's gleeful and excited look, as if she was just promised to be the greatest Clan leader in the history of ever. Even now, Amberstorm wanted to score her claws down Whitepaw's pelt, although she wasn't too sure about how she would manage that in her predicament...

"Well?" Ratstar challenged, unsheathing his claws and digging them roughly in Amberstorm's flesh. She let out an involuntary cry of pain, and quickly shut her jaws, not wanting them to choose her over ThunderClan.

"_Don't~" _Amberstorm rasped weakly, before coughing up blood.

Silence. They were letting Amberstorm die.

Amberstorm was getting faint and dizzy now. Her vision was blurry, and her breath was coming in ragged gasps now, but still no cat dared to intervein. Her amber eyes flitted toward the amber ones of Snowclaw, which held a mixture of emotions; Panic, fear, remorse, pain, anger and resolve. Amberstorm knew he still hadn't forgiven her for meeting with Marshlake, even though the latter tom was dead.

_I still didn't tell you that I loved you..._

Amberstorm's breaths were coming shorter now. Her eyes lolled everywhere, and her lungs threatened to burst.

There was a pause, and Amberstorm was sure she was going to die, until a figure stormed through the wave of cats and glared at Ratstar, mere kittensteps in front of him.

"_You!" _she yelled angrily, and Amberstorm suddenly realized that this was Snowbird, Ratstar's littermate. "I can't believe you!" she furiously jabbed him with her claw. "To think I actually defended you in the Dark Forest battle!" her lips drew back into a snarl. "I should've let you die, seeing all this blood and chaos."

Oddly, Amberstorm's body still managed to keep conscious, seeing Snowbird furiously scream at Ratstar, something she found amusing.

Ratstar spat viciously. "Why should I care for _you_? It was all 'Oh! Snowpaw!' never 'Oh! Ratpaw! How great of a catch you've made!'" he glared at his sister. "It was always you, you, you. Why do you think I joined the Dark Forest in the _first _place? But look at me now! I'm about to conquer ThunderClan and become the greatest leader ever. I'm not going to let some measly queen stand in my way!" and with that, he leaped off of Amberstorm and pounced on Snowbird.

Amberstorm wasn't sure what happened, but she knew that a moment later she was on her paws, breathing heavily. Snowbird lay weakly on the ground, her white pelt stained with blood. Amberstorm's claws unsheathed automatically. Her body throbbed from the previous battles, but she had to win this one. For the Clans.

"You _again_?" Ratstar hollered, laughing insanely. "Let me finish you! Then we'll see if I will stay or not!" he pounced, just as fast as he did with Snowbird.

Unfortunately, he failed to acknowledge the fact that Amberstorm had just released her dark, violent side, which meant that some of the effects still stayed with her. Her vision was discreetly tinted with red, and she whipped to the side faster than she could've imagined, setting her paws burning.

Halfsnow stepped forward to help, but Thornclaw held her back gently with his tail. "Don't," he mewed, his eyes filled with trust and determination. "This is Amberstorm's fight, and Amberstorm's fight only."

Privately, Amberstorm wouldn't have minded some help.

Hissing, Ratstar landed and spun on his paw on impossible speeds. His claw slashed through Amberstorm's already-injured flank, and it burned like a thousand fires. She unintentionally let out a cry again, secretly hating herself.

_You know what? This is the most crucial battle of my life...so far. Let's just let out my dark side for a bit..._

Rage suddenly filled Amberstorm, almost sweeping her off her paws. Her more-subtlety tinted-vision turned into a more obscuring color, but Amberstorm didn't mind. Her claws closed on flesh, and Amberstorm bent down, grabbing Ratstar's scruff and raking her claws down.

With a furious roar, Ratstar shook her off, making the still-sort-of-tiny she-cat fly. Amberstorm grunted as she twisted in midair and landed neatly on her paws, ignoring the burning fire in them.

Ratstar pushed himself forward, his claws outstretched and aiming for Amberstorm's throat. Curling her lip with eagerness, Amberstorm ducked at the last second with her claws unsheathed and slashed Ratstar's throat.

Triumph was quickly smothered with weariness and pain, and before Amberstorm could begin to gloat, her legs wobbled, her eyes lolled into the back of her head, and she passed out.

* * *

Lionblaze watched in horror as the golden-brown tabby she-cat wobbled before collapsing into a dead heap on the ground. Ratstar lay eerily motionless beside her. _Probably losing a life, _Lionblaze thought.

But, as he watched, Ratstar twitched at sat up. His eyes were momentarily blurry and puzzled, before his eyes flitted to the lump of golden-brown tabby fur beside him, and realization fell into his eyes.

"Did that vile thing...just _defeat _me?" Ratstar asked aloud.

Fortunately, Bramblestar chose that moment to unfreeze. "Yes, that 'vile thing', as you have just said, has defeated you. You must leave, Ratstar, leave this forest and never return."

Ratstar sneered, "Do you _honestly_ think it's that simple?" his claws slid out before he curled his lip. "I will leave, but not before settling a score." he whipped around and lunged for Amberstorm's limp body.

"_No!" _

Lionblaze's head snapped toward the source of the sound, which turned out to be Snowclaw. He watched, transfixed, as Snowclaw flung himself in front of Ratstar before bracing, earning himself a painful wound that almost immediately gushed blood.

"Leave. Now." Snowclaw glared at him. "You will not lay a claw on Amberstorm anymore. Not while I still have breath in me."

Lionblaze's eyes flitted over the crowd of cats, wondering how they were reacting. Brightheart, Cloudtail and Whitewing looked shocked, while Dewshade looked disgusted. Whitepaw's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head, and Lionblaze snickered~she was very rude to begin with, always calling every cat names, so sor-ree if it was rude that Lionblaze took pleasure in seeing her shocked into oblivion.

Ratstar gritted his teeth, before waving his tail to the group of rogues and former ShadowClan cats and turned tail, but, before he left, he turned around his head and spat, "You haven't seen the last of us," before padding out of sight.

Snowclaw met his glare, and when the last tail-tip disappeared among unknown territory, he collapsed on the ground along with Amberstorm, weakly licking the deep wounds that Ratstar had inflicted.

"Snowclaw! Let me see to that," Seedflower called from the end of the clearing, her paw already pre-swabbed in cobwebs.

Slowly, one by one, ThunderClan unfroze. They mingled, chattered, and licked their wounds. Burnetheart and Heavypelt's group separated from ThunderClan, and Toadfoot spoke for them.

"We are grateful beyond words that you've helped us so," Toadfoot stated, but didn't really look like he meant it. "And now ShadowClan will thrive. We will start," he added, "With Dawnpelt and my kits. _Hopefully,_" Toadfoot put a lot of expression in _'hopefully'_, but still he continued. "they will return to their normal selves."

"_Hopefully," _Whitepaw muttered sarcastically, while Lionblaze couldn't help but snicker quietly, though he regretted it when Squirrelflight gave him a sharp look. After they had returned with Leafpool dead, it had never been quite the same with Squirrelflight. She seemed...colder, distant, somehow.

Bramblestar dipped his head formally. "We are honored," he mewed curtly, and tilted his head. "I assume the original borders will be restored?"

"Of course," Toadfoot assured, before flicking his tail.

"We will give you a moon of peace," Bramblestar mewed, before turning tail and yowling, "ThunderClan!"

Once back at the camp, Lionblaze realized that both WindClan and RiverClan were gone. Scarlet smears of blood decorated the sandy floor, and Lionblaze supposed that they'd both surrendered and left the queens, elders, kits and his brother alone.

"Lightningpaw!" squealed Windkit the moment she saw him. The gray-and-white she-cat pounced, bowling over the brown tabby apprentice. Petalkit shyly hung back with her mother.

"What happened? Did you fight them? Did you kill them? Did they kill anyone?"

Lightningpaw blanched at the last question. He fidgeted nervously and looked to the side. "Well..."

Windkit's eyes were as round as saucers. "Who did they kill?" she persisted, but fell silent as she saw Graystripe's body.

Bramblestar bowed his head. "Graystripe has died honorably in battle. We will prepare a vigil for him."

Tired, dizzy, and in pain, Lionblaze stumbled over to greet Cinderheart, who looked anxious.

"Are you alright?" she questioned.

"Fine," Lionblaze mumbled in a daze. Sootkit and Morningkit squeaked and tackled his legs, but he didn't mind. They were beautiful and delicate, his kits.

"You should go get some sleep," Cinderheart consoled. "You've been fighting all night. At least the kits and I had a nap during the screeching." she playfully flicked his leg with her tail. "Go on, now."

Lionblaze blinked gratefully at his mate before turning tail and heading to the warriors' den. He quickly located his nest and collapsed in it, soon falling asleep...

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Lionblaze blearily yawned and opened his eyes, blinking to clear the grogginess. It seemed like only a few heartbeats after he had closed his eyes, but now he realized that it was moonhigh. His heart quickened with anticipation. The new deputy would be announced.

_It's going to be Squirrelflight, _Lionblaze thought confidently, then squirmed uneasily. _It's obvious she has a little grudge for losing Leafpool, but when she's leader, she won't exile all six of us...will she?_

Stifling a yawn, he exited the warriors' den and looked expectantly at Bramblestar. Bramblestar's eyes were unreadable, but they were on his mate's.

"I say these words before Graystripe's body, so that his spirit may hear and approve of my choice." _Typical words for the ceremony, _Lionblaze thought.

"The new deputy will be Lionblaze."

* * *

**Quote: **

_**"I HAS A CARROT!" **_

_**-Bluestar, in the "Firestar doesn't like waffles!" Youtube video**_

* * *

**You know the routine. Vote on poll on profile page, review, and BYE!**

**-Sky**


	40. Star Message

**Hey, guys! This is the final chapter! OMG! I actually finished a story! I'm going to start "The Battle Of Seven" soon, and I'ma gonna post an AN to tell y'all! **

**Disclaimer: ...Whitepaw, get your _mundui _here and say the disclaimer!**

**Whitepaw: *exaggerated sigh* fineee. Sky does not own Warriors!**

* * *

_Amberstorm woke up to _a throbbing pain in her head. Her pelt was almost completely covered in marigold and dock poultices and cobwebs. Her flank fell and rose at an irregular beat, and wet moss had been placed on her forehead. Beside her, the familiar white pelt of Snowclaw lay, his back to her, his breaths slow and quiet. _Probably asleep, _Amberstorm noted.

Seedflower entered the den, and she looked relieved. "Jayfeather," she called, "Amberstorm's awake."

"Good," responded another voice, whom Amberstorm took to be Jayfeather.

Seedflower turned to Amberstorm again with friendly eyes. "You've got a fever," she explained. "You passed out after you took away Ratstar's first life, and you were asleep for two days."

_Two days! _No wonder Amberstorm's belly was gnawing at her like there was no tomorrow.

Halfsnow entered the medicine cat's den. "Hey," her sister greeted her while dropping a mouse at her paws.

"Mmmm." Amberstorm replied, her jaws watering by simply seeing the mouse. She licked her muzzle before finishing the mouse in a few quick bites. The grumbling in her belly stopped.

"Thanks," Amberstorm mewed warmly, her heart full of affection toward her sister. "I was starving."

"So I knew," Halfsnow snorted dryly. Then her voice took on a more serious tone. "Oh, yeah, and you missed Graystripe's vigil. Snowclaw did, too."

"Graystripe's dead?" Suddenly the mouse tasted like ashes.

Halfsnow nodded grimly. "Yeah," she sighed.

"Who's the new deputy? Squirrelflight?"

"No. Lionblaze."

Amberstorm choked on her own spit. "What?" the mere thought that her sister's mentor was now deputy was...shocking. "Didn't he wet the spot behind the warriors' den?"

Halfsnow chuckled. "He's trying to get past that to prove that he's a worthy deputy."

"Yeah," Amberstorm snorted. "Worthy of wetting the ground."

Halfsnow opened her jaws to mew an answer, but in that pleasant moment, a very unpleasant cat entered the medicine cat's den. So to say, Whitepaw.

"Snowclaw! Snowclaw! Snowclaw!" Whitepaw shrieked, bouncing all around the asleep white warrior.

"Mousebrain! Shut up! He's sleeping!" Amberstorm snapped. Didn't this cat have half a brain? Maybe a quarter?

Whitepaw rolled her eyes at Amberstorm. "You're the mousebrain," she retorted. "Don't you know that _you _are the reason he's in this stupid den in the first place?"

"What?"

"This 'stupid den', so to say, is the place he is residing as well as a medicine cat that is not afraid to sentence you to six moons of taking care of the elders or clawing you," Jayfeather suddenly mewed icily at the entrance of the den. "And Snowclaw protected Amberstorm of his own free will. If you have a problem with that, then I suggest you file a complaint to Snowclaw himself, but not now, since he is trying to rest although an immature, stupid mousebrained she-cat will not leave him alone."

Whitepaw opened her jaws to fire a hot retort, but clearly thought the better of it, as her jaws snapped shut a moment later. "Fine," she grumped, before turning tail and leaving the den, aggressively shoving Jayfeather along the way.

"I can't believe we're _kin_," Jayfeather spat after she left. The blind medicine cat snarled something under his breath, then left.

"Halfsnow! Hunting patrol!"

Halfsnow shot a glance at Amberstorm. "Bye," she called. "Get well soon."

"I hope," Amberstorm muttered.

Now she was left alone in the medicine cat's den, unable to move, beside a tom that hate-liked her, and liked Whitepaw. _Seriously. How can he have _feelings _for that pile of fox dung?_

One of the mysteries of the world, Amberstorm supposed.

"I know you're awake," Amberstorm called. She saw Snowclaw stiffen, before relaxing, trying to fool her into thinking that he was still asleep.

"It's useless," Amberstorm scoffed. "Just hurry up and quit ignoring me. I know you're angry at me for going for Marshlake, but he's dead now." she winced at her own brutal, harsh tone. Marshlake's death still seared deep into her heart, and she had made the mistake of prodding it.

"So?" for the first time, Snowclaw spoke. His tone was heavy with bitterness. "You still left me~for a _ShadowClan _cat."

Amberstorm scowled. "_You _were the one who left _me_ first, going for Dungpa~I mean, _Whitepaw_."

Snowclaw blanched. "I didn't leave you," he replied smoothly after a moment's pause. "I was just play-fighting with her, and you had to get all huffy about it."

"Looked a lot more than play-fighting," Amberstorm muttered.

"And besides," Snowclaw continued, ignoring Amberstorm's comment. "It doesn't look like you like her a lot, seeing as her name isn't Dungpaw, and _shouldn't _be Dungpaw."

"You're right!" Amberstorm exclaimed, without a trace of sarcasm. "It should be Dungheap."

Snowclaw rolled his eyes. "The point is," he explained earnestly, "you don't look like you like Whitepaw."

"I _don't_. Snowclaw, have you seen the way Whitepaw acts to cats? Just because she's the leader and the former deputy's daughter, she thinks she can do anything. She even tried to wake you up earlier by screaming."

"She did wake me up," Snowclaw mewed dryly.

"That _was_ my point," Amberstorm rolled her eyes. "Anyway, she yelled at Bumblestripe on her second day as an apprentice because they had to go on a border patrol 'and smell stinky stuff' instead of hunting. When Princess asked Whitepaw to get a mouse for her, Whitepaw retorted saying that she would rather get eaten by a badger, and purposely gave her wet moss to use as bedding. Then she even talked back to Bramblestar when he gave her her punishment for her rudeness to Princess, saying that Princess 'totally deserved it'. And just now she shoved Jayfeather because she was told off~"

"Yeah, I heard. I was awake, remember?" Snowclaw interrupted. "And, so what? So maybe Whitepaw isn't the nicest she-cat in the history of the Clans. Big deal. She's still my friend."

Amberstorm gave up. "You know what? I'll stop. I'll stop complaining to you about Whitepaw, and you can live happily ever after with her raising your half-dung kits. And _I'll _be leader while you enjoy your half-dung kits, alright?" before Snowclaw could respond, Amberstorm curled up in her nest and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

"Snowclaw?" at that moment, Whitepaw entered the den again. "I heard your voice. Oh! You're awake!" she purred. "How're you feeling?" she asked, with gentleness that surprised Amberstorm. Not even _Briarlight _had spoken with such tenderness and gentleness to Toadstep, and that was saying something.

"I'm alright, but my wound kinda hurts."

There was a pause, and Amberstorm imagined Whitepaw grimacing. "You shouldn't have defended her," she mewed finally. "She doesn't even know what happened, won't bother to find out, and is totally ungrateful, and now you've got a scar that will last you your entire life. It wasn't worth it."

_Just what in StarClan happened? _Amberstorm wondered.

Snowclaw sighed. "Well, what's done's done." Was that regret in his tone? Pain and betrayal stabbed Amberstorm's heart, and she silently felt tears streaming down her face, and she hated herself for her sensitivity and weakness. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! _she wailed to herself silently, _Don't cry! Stop crying! _But her body refused to obey, sending even more tears dripping down her face and into her mossy nest.

"You shouldn't have done it in the first place," Whitepaw continued, completely oblivious to her. _Figures, _Amberstorm thought bitterly. _There's no room for me in Snowclaw and Whitepaw. I shouldn't be here. _Every muscle in her body screamed to get up and just run~anywhere, really, but the stupid slashes along her body prevented her from doing that. More tears cascaded from her tightly-shut eyes. _Stop, stop, stop! _she willed silently. Of course, it didn't stop.

"Mmm." it sounded like Snowclaw didn't really care. Of course he wouldn't care about her. Now it was just Whitepaw, Whitepaw, Whitepaw.

"Okay, I'll see you later. Bye, Snowclaw!" Whitepaw called cheerfully, the complete opposite about how Amberstorm was feeling. Suddenly, she heard Snowclaw talking to her. He thought she was asleep, of course, but Amberstorm heard him, loud and clear.

"I love you, Amberstorm, but it's just so hard choosing."

* * *

"_I still think we shouldn't be doing this," Bosu _grumbled as he padded in line beside his littermate, _Boru. "Why should we listen to the useless _mundui_?" _

"_Because we should," Kanata _snapped. _"She's leading us to a better place~exactly what we need. Haven't you always complained about the lack of prey? Well, here it is, staring right at you. You just need to move your _mundui_, as you call it, around." _

Leaf couldn't help but love _Kanata_ for her endless faith and support in her.

"_And I wills be use more," _Leaf added herself, before _Boru _and _Bosu _cracked up laughing.

"_She means that she will be more useful, right, _Danjo_?" Kanata _added, trying to help her. When the twins still howled, she scowled, _"Good gosh, be quiet, Boru, Bosu. You aren't very good in _her _tongue, either." _

"_But she's a _mundui_~" Boru _began to complain, but just then Leaf's patience snapped.

"_Okay, you knows what?" _she spat angrily, every hair on her pelt bristling. _"If you not want follow me, do not." _When _Boru _opened his jaws yet again to fire a comeback, she snapped, _"Shut it! I do not care!" _

"_Says the _mundui_," Bosu _snickered.

"_Kiss my _mundui_!" _

_Bosu _looked confused. _"What does 'kiss' mean?" _

Leaf shrugged. _"Does not know. But sounds catchy." _

After Leaf's comment to _Bosu _to kiss her _mundui_, the two twins stopped teasing her and trotted along in absolute silence. Leaf constantly navigated with landmarks, placing her paws on familiar ground. Suddenly, a question popped into her mind, and she scootched over to _Kanata._

"_Hey, Kanata," _Leaf began. _"What does _mundui_ mean, anyway?" _

_Kanata _purred, leaned over, and whispered something in her ear. Leaf immediately recoiled.

"_You little...!" _she spat to _Bosu _and _Boru_, who were yet again snickering. Leaf took a deep breath to calm herself, then plodded on, ignoring their whispers.

Leaf continued, immersed in her thoughts. Though her memory had returned, she did not know her name, and, plus, she was content with the name that _Emi _had given her. It suited her, somehow.

Suddenly, her vision disappeared and was replaced by a sunny clearing, one that Leaf had never seen before. A small puddle of water lay on it. _What...? _Leaf wondered, but before she could elaborate, she was back in the dense forest that they had once been to.

_That was a message from Star. _

Which meant that Leaf was one more pawstep closer to finding out her true identity, and unbeknownst to her, she was one more pawstep closer to her destiny.

**END OF BOOK ONE**

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**Who is Leaf? What's her destiny? Who will Snowclaw choose; Amberstorm or Whitepaw? Why am I asking you all these questions? Why are you reading all these questions and not reviewing? Find out in the sequel!**

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**Quote: **

_**"They obviously can't see that well. It rushed straight past us. And I had enough time to get all the way across before it spotted me. I think we'll be able to cross if we're careful."**_

_**-Clear Sky about the monsters in "The Sun Trail"**_

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**Finished the Sun Trail like a month ago! Okay, see ya on the other book! Don't forget to review! Byeeee!**

**-Sky**


	41. AN-SEQUEL UP!

**Hey guys, guess what? THE SEQUEL TO POS IS UP! Yeah! Check it out! It's called "The Battle of Seven" and guarantees awesome stuff! Like stuff! (xD) Sooooo...yeah! Go see it 'cause I know a lot of you are really excited! Well, I sure am at least! (and yay for actually finishing a story!) **

**P.S I think the reason I'm so hyped up is because I ate too much sugar ^^;**


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